Always Bad Wolf
by Hairi Esh Mooncake
Summary: A month after the unfinished confession of the Doctor at Bad Wolf Bay, Rose meets her end, just to find herself back at the Henrik's in 2005. What is death to her? And does he get his second chance to say it? [DW episodes, changes in characters actions, starts out slowly but goes even a bit AU in mid S2]
1. Prologue

**This is the Prologue of my "Always Bad Wolf" series, inspired by Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter's story"History repeats".**

** 1st Season done, 2nd nearing the end, 3rd is in plans. Plans, meaning there _will_ be S3. Heh ^^**

* * *

A month had passed since Rose Tyler last seen her Doctor. A month since she heard his voice call her name, and a lot longer since the time when she was able to touch him.

_"Can I..." She suspected what answer she would get, but still couldn't stop herself hoping to touch him one last time._

_"I'm still just an image." He told her with a sorrowful smile. Crushing the last hope._

Also, a month since her tearful confession, which she never had a chance to hear a reply to.

_"And I suppose, if it's one last chance to say it...Rose Tyler-"_

And today, the 22nd of January of 2007 is the day, when she dead. After a series of nearly successful attempts on her life, in the form of: accidentally fallen brick, broken stairs, robbery in the bank, nearly drowning, it was finally it. Pete's World finally gotten rid of her.

She should have noticed it. After all, the whole month was quite 'bad' for her. Jackie would complain how bad this January was, with so much snow that she couldn't get outside at all. The news would broadcast the weather starting with words "We know how bad this January has been for all of us...", and let's not forget her "accidently" finding a book in Pete's residence library of Anglo Saxon. Which she continued to read while trying to bury her depression and learnt many interesting things (or at least things which should have been interesting), such as the name of January in Anglo Saxon having a symbolic meaning of a wolf moon.

_Bad Wolf._

She should have known, that Bad Wolf doesn't end with death, and that it was just the beginning of what is awaiting of her.

Everything was moving in a slow motion. She heard concerned voices of her family and friends calling her name, pleading her to stay awake, but by each second it was starting to get harder and harder to breath. Her eyelids were getting heaver and she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. Voices becoming more distant, until she couldn't hear anything whatsoever. It was all just blackness.

Nothingness.

And she thought that this was it, this was how her life was gonna end. Inside her mind she was cursing the universe for such an unfair fate, with all her might she tried to keep her mind awake at least, even if her body had succumbed to darkness long ago. And then, all of a sudden, she felt very light, like something was carrying her. She tried to open her eyes but it didn't work. So all she could do was wait and absorb the feeling she was getting.

_Thud_

She felt a heavy blow to her back. It seems she was against something hard and cold. If one can laugh in one's mind then Rose did just that. She couldn't believe that she was going to stay awake while her body was being transported to _morgue_.

But something was wrong. Very wrong about that thought. She couldn't have been in morgue because dead bodies are laid down on the table, not standing.

Wait.

Standing? How come she was standing if she could barely breathe or feel her body moments ago? And that light. Her eyes, still closed, could feel light on them. She tried moving her eyelids and little by little they came to focus. At first she didn't see anything. Everything was kinda blurry, but after blinking a few times her vision started to become focused. What she saw in front of her made her gap speechless. She couldn't comprehend what she was feeling. Who could, when the very Living Plastic was cornering her to the wall, trying to kill her._ Once more?_

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**A/N : ****I guess the philosophy of my story is the cruel fate of living through the same while knowing what's going to happen next. And things obviously can't always happen the same. This is not a flat out canon following rewrite. This is reliving with the old eyes with some of my bits thrown in between.**

**I play with plot a lot. Time is not linear and neither is my story. But for that... you'll have to read to understand.**


	2. Rose

**I'm trying to experiment with some new things... I hope I done alright, and not off the course. **

**Anyway, I'll be very grateful to read your reviews and if you think I could do something a bit differently to make this story better, feel free to express your suggestions. **

**Now, read on.**

* * *

The Living Plastic was dangerously getting closer to Rose Tyler, and at any minute could have grabbed her by the collar. Of course, from years of practice by encountering various aliens, it would be no problem for her to escape them, but Rose was too shocked to move even an inch. She was literally a standing, living statue that way, letting the plastic to get near her way too close.

When the situation become 'culmination,' Rose felt a too familiar hand grabbing hers tightly, and when she turned around to face the source of that, was welcomed by the very first word her Doctor once told her.

"Run."

And they ran, hand in hand, the man ahead and Rose following behind. A man with the leather jacket and big ears made his way to the elevator with Rose. She thought that it was time to stop and think for a moment. What exactly was going on? Her dream seemed to be _way _too realistic, when a moving plastic hand, stuck between the elevator's door, distracted her.

She couldn't help but snort at it. It was just too good to be true. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Rose grabbed the hand and pulled it off of the dummy. The hand still fiercely moving in her hands made her grin all the more. She would have stood there, playing with a living hand for ages if a cough wouldn't have reminded her just who exactly was she in the elevator with.

And then the realisation came to her. It was _the_ Doctor. HER Doctor. Well, the first regeneration of him, but all the same - the Doctor. While she was standing with disbelief in her eyes, it seems she had loosened her grip on the hand. Soon enough, the hand grabbed her on the throat and was determined to choke her.

Finally the Doctor decided to take some action and fought the hand off of Rose, "Give me that," he exclaimed, pulling his sonic screwdriver out to deactivate it.

"Living plastic, so fierce but, look, now becomes just another hand of a dummy." He tossed the hand to Rose.

As they exited the elevator, Rose was trying to make some sense of all this, not noticing how she started to talk out loud.

"Henrik's, 2005, a shop. Willson! Oh no, Willson!" Rose remembered the poor man's fate.

"Who is Willson?"

"The chief electrical officer."

"Willson is dead," the Doctor told her.

"I know..." Rose said with a sadness in her voice

The Doctor looked at her sceptically for a moment but soon regained his composure and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the elevator's button.

"Mind your eyes," he warned her as it flickered. Soon he was running ahead, leaving Rose quite a bit far behind.

"Oh, no, you don't," Rose whispered to herself as she ran following the Doctor.

She soon caught up with him. "What are you doing here?" was her first question. She cursed herself silently. She could have thought of something better to ask, couldn't she?

"Oh, you know, just trying to save the lives of all you stupid little apes. Good thing I have this." He waved a device at her. "The living plastic is being controlled by a relay device on the roof. So, I'm gonna go upstairs and blow up. I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me, no. You go on, go on, have your lovely beans on toast, and don't tell anybody about this cause you'll get them killed."

At that moment Rose was just gaping at her surroundings as she viewed her home, London of 2005.

"Well, goodbye." She heard the voice behind her as the doors closed. She quickly turned around and was about to go after the man, when the doors opened once more, startling her; the Doctor's head peeked out the door.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way, what's your name?" he asked with a smile.

"R-Rose..." Not yet understanding what she was doing, Rose answered the question in reflex.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," he added with a huge grin. "Oh, and one more thing, did your job involved pulling off dummies hands? You seemed awfully familiar with the action."

"Eh?" Rose found it hard to find the right words, if there were any in this situation. "No, I was just one of the personnel."

"Is that so? Now then, run for your life." The Doctor waved the control device in his hands and was gone inside the building once more.

Rose stood there, expressionless. She had just had a conversation with her Doctor. It could have been a dream, and she was pretty sure it was, until the events seemed to have a few new incidents in between. _"Now run for your life." _All too familiar words. Run for your life...why? Dummies where inside so what wa-...  
_  
_"Explosion! He's going to blow my job up!" Rose exclaimed and was already starting to run farther from the building.

As she crossed the street, the building exploded. People in the street quickly started panicking and running around while Rose snorted and started snickering. She watched her work place exploding like fireworks and just laughed hysterically like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm...un-employed again," she spoke between the laughing. She soon spotted an elderly woman staring at her with horror in her eyes as Rose spoke again.

"No, but seriously. This just can't be true!" Still not stopping laughing. "This's freaking 2005!" Clenching her stomach as it started to hurt already from all the laughing. She waved the plastic hand, still in her grip, around. "But I don't care!" She shook her head, making the elderly woman step backwards in defence. "If by going mad I can finally be together with him again, so be it."

When she finally calmed down, the street was already empty of the people and looked like it was haunted. It seems everyone had run away, scared. Well, it made sense; she had done so too, the first time round. She soon felt her cell phone buzz from inside her pocket. She answered it, noticing that it was her mum.

"Mum? Of course I'm alright. No, I was not inside. Yes, I'm coming back home." Jackie was still as protective as ever and having no idea still just how much more dangerous her daughter's life would soon get.

At Powell Estate, Jackie was on the phone for ages, talking with everyone she could talk to about how Rose was lucky to be alive and how she should get compensation. Mickey was soon in the room too, speaking all the same.

Rose remembered feeling slightly annoyed by all this behaviour the previous time, but now she just grinned at them. It all felt so nostalgic. As it was, and right. In the right universe with her Doctor still in it. Doctor!

Mickey was already offering her something stronger to drink when suddenly Rose jumped off the couch and was nearly running through the door.

"Rose! What are you doing?" Mickey shouted behind her.

"Where the bloody hell are you going?" Jackie exclaimed with a bossy voice.

"You nearly died tonight and you want to go outside now? Sit back down, missy."

"That makes twice today," Rose muttered.

"What?" Jackie asked.

"It was nothing. But seriously, Mum. I'm alright." She put her hands on her mum's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Everything's going to be alright. Now more than ever, I promise you. I'll come back soon."

Jackie was too confused by her daughter's words to react soon enough. Rose already left the flat.

As she went outside, she tried to find the blue box but had no such luck. She wandered the streets for hours, when she understood that she wouldn't find the TARDIS tonight, especially if she didn't want to be found.

When she returned home, Jackie and Mickey were at her all over again but she quickly dismissed them and went to her room. Once she was there she tried to remember all the little details of how she came to travel with the Doctor. She remembered that the Doctor was supposed to come to her flat to search for the hand tomorrow! The hand! Right. Where was it? She returned to the living room with Mum and Mickey still in there, grabbed the plastic hand, and returned to her room.

It was silly, really, but she didn't have much to do and falling asleep obviously scared her (in case she woke up from this dream of hers in the parallel world with no Doctor), so she decided to stare at the hand. It was already 5 am when she started to feel kinda drowsy. Even though she was fiercely fighting her sleep she couldn't stay awake any longer. She fell asleep.

At 7:30 Rose was woken up by an alarm. She reached over with her hand and turned it off. Still sleepy and with blurry vision she tried to identify her surroundings. Her room looked quite odd. At Pete's estate she didn't have such a room. It almost looked like...

"Powell Estate." At once she jumped out of the bed, turned a few circles around the room as she spotted the hand. It was still here. The Doctor should come soon.

"He is coming!" Beaming at the hand like it could understand her. She quickly got dressed and left her room _with _the plastic hand.

While eating breakfast, Rose was shining with energy and still not letting go of the hand. She felt her Mum's gaze at her, which looked really odd.

"Are you sick, sweetheart?" She heard her Mum's concerned voice.

"No, mum. I told you. Everything is brilliant." She beamed at her mum, making her all the more nervous about her daughter.

"But what's with the hand?" Jackie asked with confusion and slight disgust in her voice.

"Oh, it's my safeguard," Rose answered simply and was again misunderstood by her family.

When Jackie went to her room to get dressed and dry her hair, Rose heard some flipping sound. She turned to the door. He was here!

She ran to the door and was about to open it when she came to the realization that she couldn't just jump onto him with a hug. That's not what happened. She was certain he would not understand. If she talked about things that had not happened then, it would seem she had admitted that she was thrown into her past with her older self's consciousness. She had to play along. She might be able change some things, but she had to stick with the basics. S_ome more flips on the door._

She took a deep breath and opened the door. She nearly lost herself, starting to make a move to hug the Doctor, but luckily the Doctor moved faster than her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Rose answered as calmly as she could.

"What do you do that for?"

Rose couldn't help herself and snorted. "'Cos I do. Not much else to do, 'cus someone blew up my job." She tried to end the sentence with all seriousness and a bit of forced blame.

The Doctor seemed like he was not paying that much attention to that, as he quickly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and looked at it in confusion.

"Must have gotten the wrong signal. You are not plastic, are you?" He knocked on her head nonchalantly. "Bye then."

But Rose was quicker. "You. Inside, right now."

Once inside, Rose was pacing around the room thinking of what to say next. Somehow she just thought to the point of dragging Doctor to the flat. She knew what she did before. All questioning about Henrik's and living plastic, but she had no desire for such questions now. But it was not like she could just tell the Doctor that she was his companion from the future either.

At that moment, the Doctor was looking around the room.

"Rose Tyler." He read the name. Then looked at himself in the mirror and inspected himself. When the hand that was under the couch came back to life, it came at the Doctor. Rose was still deep in her thoughts, so she didn't notice the Doctor's struggles until later.

When she turned and found, the Doctor 'under' the plastic hand, she quickly dropped what she was doing and rushed to aid him. She pulled the plastic off of the Doctor's face. It suddenly turned at her, though. Soon enough, the Doctor made his way to it, but it took a while and some 'table crashing' until it finally came off. Then he took his screwdriver from his pocket and deactivated it.

"There you go. Signal stopped. Auton." The Doctor smiled at his work. "But wait a minute. Wasn't this the hand I deactivated in the elevator yesterday? How come it's alive?" Confused, the Doctor frowned. "Do you have dummies' hands collection at your house?"

"That was me." A voice from behind came and they soon found Mickey standing in the doorway watching nervously at the scene. "I saw it in the street moving on its own and thought it was cool. So I took it. Are you alright, Rose?" Mickey came to her.

"She could not have been. You saw the moving hand in the street and just took it home. Fantastic," the Doctor said sarcastically.

"I'm alright. Don't worry, Mickey. Thank you, Doctor..." Realising that just the Doctor was kinda strange to let it pass; she moved her hands around to let him speak.

"Just the Doctor. And now, off I go." The Doctor soon dashed from the flat, but Rose followed close behind.

Rose tried to play along.

"Hold it on. You can't just leave like that."

"Yes I can. Here is me, leaving. See ya." The Doctor descended the stairs and was soon outside.

"That arm tried to kill me. Twice at that. Somehow everything comes twice at me these days..." Rose muttered the last sentence barely audible.

"What was that?" The Doctor was once again a bit confused by this human. "But no, it did not try to kill you. It was after me. You just got in the way. The world does not revolve around you."

"So the whole world revolves around you instead?" Rose said mockingly, but fully well knowing the answer, added a bit of a tease.

"Sort of yeh," the Doctor said with a grin.

They bickered teasingly some more, getting some details about the living plastic, just as the old times, no matter if it was the _new times_ to the Doctor .

"Do you believe me?" he asked.

"Yeh," she said simply.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief and failing to hide a smile. Rose decided it was about time she made a move.

"So all this plastic things...who else knows about this?" she asked softly.

"No one." The Doctor shrugged it off.

"So what, you are on your own?"

"Who else is there? I mean you lot, all you do is eat chips, watch telly, go to bed. While all the time around me is a war going on."

"If you need someone, I can help you," Rose said with all seriousness in her eyes. She knew the Doctor would be shocked by her suggestion, as it was something she did not say before. She just hoped the Doctor would take it the right way.

"You think it tried to kill you and you come after it. Very brave indeed," the Doctor said, grinning, which Rose returned. "But stupid." With a cold face again. Rose frowned.

"I know what I'm doing," Rose persisted.

"No, you don't." He dismissed her. "And frankly speaking, you are a bit crazy, you know that? For a human at least."

"What, is it so hard to believe that a human can love the adventure?" Rose said with a teasing grin, tongue between her teeth.

Doctor seemed to be taken by surprise. He lost his words for a while. "Okay then, Rose Tyler. If you say so, meet me near that shop of yours at 7 pm and we can go do a bit of inspection." As he said that, he was soon out of sight.

Rose couldn't believe her ears. It worked! She will soon go on adventure with her Doctor. She started to jump around squealing from happiness.

* * *

At 7 pm, Rose Tyler was already waiting for the Doctor when the TARDIS materialised in front of her. She was a bit shocked, as she didn't expect him to be so bold.

"Right, here you are. Off we go then. Ready?" The Doctor smiled at her with a fake smile you could see through. It was obvious he was trying to scare her off with the TARDIS, but that wouldn't work on Rose. She was determined to make her choices right this time.

The Doctor seemed to have found himself speechless once more when he didn't get the reaction he was expecting, such as screaming or backing away. Rose just grinned a wide smile at him instead.

"Off we go then," Rose repeated him.

"You are taking this awfully well," the Doctor said to her with a growing suspicion in his voice.

"Oh, you know. Too much Star Trek and you believe all the things." Rose grinned. "Besides, you told me how impressive you were," she continued, poking at his chest. "So It is just right that I was expecting something extraordinary from you."

The Doctor just shook his head. "Rose Tyler, I'm gonna work on figuring you out soon enough, but not just yet. As we have more important things to do now. " He grinned as he grabbed Rose's hand in his. With that they ran in search of an adventure.

* * *

When a dummy disguised as a person in the diner came to life, they let themselves out through the back door. As they ran back to the TARDIS, the Doctor soon inside and Rose not falling behind, they both stopped for a moment. Rose took in the all too familiar view with so much joy and delight that she nearly forgot that the Doctor was standing, waiting for a normal human reaction from her. Once she put herself together she spoke.

"It is bigger on the inside," Rose stated, biting her lower lip to prevent the snort. She knew just how much he loved when people noticed that.

"Yes," he just said simply.

"It is alien then. Are you alien?" she asked.

"Yes. Is that alright?" the Doctor asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"Yeh."

"It's called the TARDIS. This thing. T.A.R.D.I.S. Time and Relative Dimension in Space." A slight pause."Okay then, no more wasting time, let's go outside." The Doctor was making his way through the door.

"We have moved," Rose stated once outside. "Does it fly?" she asked mockingly, fully well knowing the answer.

"Disappears there and reappears there. You wouldn't understand." The Doctor was pacing outside frantically, looking for the signal of the alien.

"Try me," Rose told him in all seriousness.

Doctor just looked at her like _she_ was some kind of alien and was about to say something, but decided to drop the subject. "Next time."

Rose beamed. _Next time. _She couldn't help but smile at that.

"What's the Police Box?" Rose decided she had to keep asking to not sound too obvious.

"It's a telephone box. From 1950s. A disguise," he answered with a grin.

Then they got back to the talk about living plastic and Rose pointed out the transmitter behind the Doctor while teasing him like the last time until they found themselves running.

Once they found the conciousness (with Rose's help, of course), Rose was surprised how things seemed to play out all the same as the last time even if she tried to change some things. Even Mickey was found there all the same, being swallowed by the trash bin when he was outside looking for Rose.

And now here they stood. Mickey staggering from the TARDIS with Rose helping him while the Doctor stood between the TARDIS door.

"Nestene Conciousness. Easy," Doctor exclaimed and clicked his fingers.

"You were useless in there. You would be dead if not for me," Rose teased.

"Yes, I would," the Doctor agreed with a smile. "Thank you," he sighed. "Right then. I'll be off. Unless, I don't know." He shrugged. "You could come with me. This box isn't just a box you know, it goes all around the universe. Free off charge." He beamed and Rose smiled right back at him.

Soon enough Mickey put his nose into the conversation. "H-he is an alien. He is a thing." Pointing at him.

"He is _not _invited," Doctor added. "What do you think?"

Mickey clung to Rose like his life depended on it.

"Yeh. I...um, can't. I got to find my mum, and someone's gotta look after this lump. So..." Rose was careful to use the same words as the last time as she was hoping for the same reaction. She just couldn't suppress the temptation to make the Doctor ask her twice.

"Okay. See you around."

And the TARDIS vanished with the Doctor inside. Rose waited for a bit, but then nothing happened. She was already getting anxious and Mickey was starting to walk off. She caught up with Mickey. Dark thoughts swirled around her mind, like 'did she do something wrong', when she heard the sound of the universe once more. As the blue police box materialised, the Doctor popped his head out.

"By the way. Did I mention? It also travels in time," he finished, leaning on the TARDIS doors, leaving them open.

Rose beamed at him with a smile full of delight. Then turned to Mickey.

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek and ran with all her might, grinning, inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler, just as it should be. The story continued.

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**_to be continued..._**

**A/N: I have to express my thanks. I didn't expect to get any reviews in the prologue but was pleasantly surprised to get them. SO THANK YOU! I hope this chapter didn't put you off, and you will continue or join me. **


	3. The End of the World

**I want to thank you once again everyone who took time to review or/and are following this story. I'm very happy to hear your feedback =) **

**Also, a special thanks to Ophelia Meadows who helped me proofread it ^^**

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"Right then, Rose Tyler - you tell me, where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. What's it going to be?" The Doctor was asking Rose while playing around with a part of TARDIS in his hands.

"Forwards. Definitely forwards." She grinned.

"How far?" Rose was sure that the Doctor was expecting something big as her answer, but she just couldn't help wanting to tease him a bit more.

"One hundred years," she just stated with all seriousness.

As she expected, the Doctor was a bit surprised by that. Disappointed? Maybe a slightly bit. "Only one hundred?" He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, you should get that." He hit a few buttons and switches, and the TARDIS began pulsating and echoing, the sound of the universe ringing throughout the console room. And soon, with a bump, they landed.

"Step outside. It's the 22nd century," he said.

"You are kidding," Rose said, smirking.

Doctor frowned at her. "You surely don't believe that I can't do better than that, do you?" Desperation to show what he was capable of was clearly visible in his voice.

"You think you are so impressive." Rose told him teasingly.

"I _am_ so impressive," the Doctor sounded like a lost puppy.

"You wish." Rose shook her head with a grin.

"Oh, you have asked for it." He pointed a finger at her. "I just know the right place for you." He gave her a manic grin. And soon enough, he was all over the switches; pressing and pumping everything he could see. Or it looked like that from aside. And with a ding on the bell, they had landed.

"What's out there?"

Rose could barely hold her legs in place so not to run outside. She knew exactly where they were. But luckily the Doctor just pointed to the door for her to look for herself. And she didn't waste any time. She ran outside the door, and soon found herself 5 billion years into the future.

As she looked around the familiar surroundings, despite the obvious joy, she knew she had work to do. Maybe she couldn't do much about living plastic, but Cassandra had caused too many casualties here. She had to stop it. She slowly moved to the glass window where she saw her planet - Earth, so close to death once more. Shortly after, she felt the Doctor stand by her.

You lot," the Doctor said softly. "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef, or global warming, or asteroids. But you never take the time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive." The Doctor paused a bit. "This is the year 5.5/apple/26. Five billion years in your future. And this is the day… hold on…" He looked at his watch and Rose smiled. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

The Doctor looked at her, but what he saw in her expression was only a half-sad smile and understanding.

_An announcement about guests rang over the intercom._

The Doctor was about to say something with his mouth already half open, when Rose interrupted him.

"So when they say...guests. Does it mean people?" Rose asked him carefully.

"Depends what you mean by people. Aliens on board," he announced all happy.

"So, they go, have fun, while the worlds explodes?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Pretty much, yeh," he agreed like it was the normal thing. Which, as he did not know, was way too normal for Rose too.

"Let's go explore then!" Rose beamed at him while starting to skip around. When she noticed that the Doctor was not following her, and only looking at her with an intense stare, she started to get nervous.

"What is it?" she asked slowly.

He darkened his gaze a bit. "I'm just thinking, if I did not take a mental person with me." Still staring at her. Rose was about to say something, but the Doctor was faster.

"Oh, well. Let's us go. Come on," he urged her and gone ahead.

_Mental person. "_Great, first impression of me is brilliant," she cursed under her breath.

As they went further into the room, Rose spun around while grinning and absorbing the feeling of 'home'. She finally felt like she was home and so alive, that she just wanted to share her joy. And although, she knew that this regeneration of the Doctor still had too much darkness from the Time War, she just wanted to make him better. Even if it was only by taking little steps. She came to a stop from spinning around, and was walking backwards while facing the Doctor, when she crashed into someone.

"Look out," the Doctor warning her at the same time.

She spun around to face the source and found the blue Steward glancing at her in confusion.

"Oh, please excuse me. I was too absorbed in my...admiring of the place." Rose waved her hand around. Steward seemed not to buy it. She sighed. _Why sweet talk only works for the Doctor?_

"Who are you?" The Steward glanced at them frantically. "How did you get in here?"

"Oh, we are the guests." Doctor made his way to the Steward. "The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor see." He showed his psychic paper. "And this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one." Pointing at Rose. He leaned near her ear and introduced the psychic paper's abilities to her.

"As he says," Rose agreed with a nodding smile. Doctor glanced at her _again _like facing an alien. Which she was, considering that humans _ARE_ aliens to him, but she was more alien to human race than to him. Or so he thought at that moment.

She just talked to an alien in such a long time. And it was brilliant! But then she remembered that she _talked _with the alien in English, which should be odd for a human her.

"He speaks English," she said in a _fake_ unbelief.

"No, you just hear like that. It's the TARDIS. It gets inside your head and translates all the alien languages."

"So, she is telepathic?" Rose said and at once cursed herself that she let herself slip by regarding TARDIS as a she.

The Doctor seemed to notice that too. "How did you know the TARDIS is a she?" he asked her in suspicion. "And she is sentient."

Rose struggled to find the right words. "Well..." She started slowly. "The TARDIS is a time machine. And machine is feminine. So, I just thought..." She shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant.

The Doctor paused for a moment, trying to analyse her, but then it seemed like her answer was good enough for him and he didn't ask further.

The guests were then introduced. When the Trees came, Rose made a note to save Jabe from her fate no matter what. Rose was glad to see the Face of Boe again. She wondered whether she could have a chat with him some time. And then came _the last human._ Rose's face twisted at once. She couldn't help feeling angry at the things she did. Part of her felt pity to her, and she didn't like it, because at today's events she did, or will do, nothing to be pitied about.

The Doctor seemed to take notice of her reaction.

"How does it look?" he asked her lightly. "The last human. Don't you look similar?" The Doctor snickered at her.

Rose gave him a look. "She is just skin," she stated with an empty face and hollow voice. Which made Doctor wonder why the sudden seriousness.

"Oh, no need to hate your race just so soon. What did she do to you?"

Rose glanced at the Doctor and just sighed. Not like she could _explain _any of it to him. Which made the Doctor all the more puzzled. He was getting quite way too much confused about this one particular human and in a relatively short time, which troubled him. There was just something...off about her. Not that she was a potential threat by any means, no. But it was like she said less than she knew.

As the Tree woman named Jabe approached the Doctor and Rose, they exchanged greetings. _T__he air of my lungs_ considered being intimate gesture, of course, made Rose grimace. She blamed herself for not remembering this detail to put it the other way. But now it was too late for that.

"Okay then. I'll be off to make some...acquaintances with faces...or black furry species..." Rose tried deliberately to sound dumb. The Doctor just smiled at that.

"Look, I know you are all, madcap-y and all, but try to not to start a fight." The Doctor beamed at her.

"Madcap-y." Rose looked at the Doctor in bewilderment.

"That's right. Your nickname," the Doctor exclaimed like it had been the obvious.

"Since when do I have a nickname?" Rose narrowed her eyes in question.

"Since I gave you one." Doctor grinned at her all happily.

Rose just shook her head. Somehow she was making more changes than she thought she would. And in such a short time too! She wasn't sure, whether to feel happy or nervous.

* * *

What made her unable to do anything the last time, was the fact that Cassandra held her captive. Obviously, Rose had pissed her off with her remarks about her "skin image". Good thing Rose knew that now. So, she noted that it would be best to avoid Cassandra.

As she was about to make her way to the Face of Boe, some other guests approached him and Rose was left standing. Then a voice came behind her.

"Good fellah. Face of Boe is," the Doctor started the conversation with her. "And wise too. They say his age is of millions. Nobody knows exactly, though." He talked as they slowly exited the room and were heading to where they once parked the TARDIS.

"Yeh." Rose just made a longing smile while facing in Face's direction.

"Do you know the Face of Boe?" the Doctor asked her, knowing full well, that it was impossible, but her reactions were far from normal.

Rose was taken by a surprise when he asked her that. She knew that she was acting oddly and she had to pull herself together, or she would fail them all. She feared the Doctor would throw her out, either because she was suspicious or just too mad.

"'Course not. How could a mere human like me know such a divine creature?" Rose tried to defend herself.

"I thought as much," the Doctor agreed. "But you are way too weird, you know that, Madcap-y?" He put his eyebrows together while sneering at her.

"Shut it, you." She hit his arm playfully. The Doctor rubbed his arm while making an _ow _sound. After they entered the room he continued.

"So what do you think?" he asked her expectedly. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing her to sit.

"Great!" She beamed at him and soon realised that a bit too much, when it made the Doctor jump slightly. "They are just...so alien," she said, a bit calmer now. "In a good way. You go all over the world to meet different people, different races and never think that maybe there is just a lot more to that. That you can meet different species too." They both laughed a bit at that. She tried to approach the next subject carefully.

"Where are you from, by the way?" she asked softly.

The Doctor's smile seemed to fade and Rose felt a lump in her throat. The last thing she wanted to do was make him uncomfortable, but she knew that it was the only way to make him talk and to learn that she was there for him.

"From all over the place." He tried to dismiss it.

"Okay, but from what planet are you from?" She locked her gaze to his for a while, but he soon looked away.

"Not like you would know it," he said more sadly than bitter now. And for that, Rose was very glad. She was way too much aggressive the first time, as she was scared and so far away from home, but now she knew a whole lot more.

"Can't I at least get a name?" she asked hopefully. "I mean, you come to my planet, then bring me to the day of its explosion, and you don't even tell me your own planet's name? That's a bit unfair." She knew that it sounded awful, but not like she could say _I know about Gallifrey._

He stood up at those words and came to the window. There was a huge silence and Rose understood that he would not break it first, so she joined him to stand near the window.

"Alright. As my mate Shareen says - no arguing with the designated driver." She could hear him chuckle as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, trying to make it look like a search for a signal. "Besides...not like I could call for a taxi. There's no signal here. We're out of range!" she exclaimed. "Just a bit..." And soon the Doctor took her phone from her.

"Tell you what. A little bit of jiggery-pokery..." The Doctor was already pulling insides out of the phone.

"Is that a technical term, jiggery-pokery?" she asked him teasingly.

"Yeh, I came first in the jiggery-pokery. " He told her affectionately. "What about you?" He tried to sound nonchalant.

"Nah, I took hullabaloo" She couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Ah." And with that he put her phone together and handed it to her. "There you go." He looked at her to try it out.

She was very thankful for that the other time. And she nearly jumped at him, but suppressed it, as she couldn't have known what to thank for just yet. Rose pressed the button to call her mum and had a short conversation where she tried to hint her mother that she may be late home, late as in a month or so from now and not as in later today. Sure enough, it made the Doctor make a questioning look at her once more, but she didn't care. She had to make her mother's worry at least a bit less this time.

"That was billion years ago..." she said with a distant voice after the call. "I don't know what you did, but thank you." She smiled fondly at him. He smiled back at her, making a short, but not awkward pause.

"Gallifrey," he said. Rose nearly jumped at that.

"What?" She looked at him puzzled.

"My home planet." He looked at her. "I'm a Time Lord."

"So you control time and go about it?" Rose tried to form a stupid human question.

"Not controlling it, looking after it. So that it would not get messed up. And we can't just go anywhere we want. There are timeliness to be preserved and you cannot cross your own. That being said, you can't come back here tomorrow at this exact moment because you would cross paths with yourself and that would create a paradox." He pointed a finger at her.

"Alright, I get it." She nodded.

"Good." Was all he said, when the room shook. "That's not supposed to happen." He grinned with excitement.

"Is there any trouble in time we got to fix?" Rose asked him innocently.

"There could be." He grinned at her and grabbed her hand. They ran back to the main room.

* * *

After a few hints of _Bad Wolf _here and there, like the Moxx of Balhoon talking to the Face of Boe about it, they stopped to talk with Jabe about the situation.

"Where's the engine room?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know… but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest's suite, I could show you and… your wife?" She gestured to Rose.

"Oh, she's not my wife." The Doctor ended with a half smile.

"Partner?"

"No."

"Concubine?"

"Nope."

"Bride of the Wolf?"

"N-" The Doctor began to say, when Rose got in between.

"A what?" she asked in disbelief. That was not mentioned the previous time.

"Bride of the Wolf. Some species call their trusted one's mates like that. I just assumed since I don't know your species all that well..." She pointed to Rose, who just blinked at her repeatedly.

"Oh, she's human," the Doctor answered her simply.

"I wouldn't fully agree...-" She began to say, but Rose decided to hear no more.

"So then, should we head off?" she asked suggestively, pointing at the doors. The Doctor seemed to want to ask something, but decided to drop it.

* * *

Once back from their little inspection, they confirmed that the _little pets_, as the Doctor called them, indeed, were sabotaging with the engines, and that they were all over the platform. Cassandra still tried to put the blame to the Face of Boe, but the Doctor heard no more.

"Here's an easy way of finding out. Someone brought a little pet on board. Let's send it back to master." He put it on the ground and it soon stopped at Adherents of the Repeated Meme. Cassandra was already sighing in relief, when Rose, not having enough patience, stormed to them and pulled one's arm off as they crumbled to the floor.

"You got something against hands, don't you?" the Doctor exclaimed to her in amusement and confusion. Rose only shrugged her shoulders. "But that's right. Those there only an idea. The real mastermind is someone else." He gave a light nudge with his foot "Go on, Jimbo. Go home." And it soon found his way to Cassandra.

"At arms!" the last human shouted.

"What are you going to do? Moisturize me?" the Doctor asked her with a mocking voice, his hands on his chest.

"With acid," Cassandra threatened, but soon flew from the scene with her teleporter, announcing how her "pets" have destroyed the safety systems just before that.

* * *

When the three of them came back to the engine room, Rose went deep in her thoughts about the conversation she heard her Doctor and Jabe have while they were here the previous time.

_"What about your ancestors, Doctor?" Jabe asked him delicately. "Perhaps you could tell a story or two... Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble, when there is nothing else left. I scanned you out there. A metal machine had trouble identifying your species. And when it did, I couldn't believe it." She shook her head. "I know, where you are from," she said softly. "I just want to say...how sorry I am." As she put her hand on his arm._

_It broke Rose's heart to see her Doctor like that. But she remained silent, looking from behind, suppressing the urge to bury him into her comforting arms. "It should have been her, not Jabe", she thought. But she knew that she was way too far behind to act upon her feelings. So, she just closed her eyes and remained quiet the whole road ahead._

"Rose?" The Doctor's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Yeh? Sorry. Yeh. What was it?" She sounded still a bit dazed.

"You alright?" He sounded concerned. "If you feel unwell you can wait in the main room, I can handle this here."

_What was she doing?_ She is losing her only chance to help by having her silly thoughts. Even feeling what she felt, she knew other priorities came first now. She can't lose herself.

"No, there's no need for that," she answered firmly. "I'm ready to help." She gave him a reassuring smile, which relaxed the Doctor a bit. "Besides, it is kinda hot in here." She picked on her clothes to make some wind. "You shouldn't be here, Jabe. I'll take on from now on." She looked at Jabe with deep concern in her eyes.

"No, how could I leave you two here..." Jabe protested.

"Rose's right, Jabe." The Doctor's voice was serious. "Rose, put that lever down while I walk to the other side." He pointed to her. "And you." He was looking at Jabe softly. "Go back to the main room and help to make things go under control there. We need you there." His gaze was too intense for Jabe to protest any more.

When the Doctor stood ready to go further and Rose near the lever, Jabe came to her to whisper. "Be careful. Even if you are not exactly human, there is still too much heat for your skin here."

Rose was lost for a moment. The Tree woman kept talking about her not being fully human and _that_ bothered her a lot, but she also came to a realisation that, indeed, her body won't be able to hold down that much of heat either. However, she was too determined to back down now. She would _never_ back down when her Doctor was included.

With Jabe leaving the room, Rose pulled the lever down and quickly experienced just how _not _alright she was going to be in the upcoming minutes. The Doctor was halfway through, when the heat started to make its way around Rose and the metal lever was getting extra hot. She tried to hold her breath in, but failed. She let a sound of pain escape as she winced.

As the Doctor heard that, he quickly turned around to face Rose, but by that time she had already had a stone mask on her face, not showing any pain on her face, only gripping the lever even harder as she felt it slipping from her grip.

"Go on!" she shouted at him. "Don't waste time, Time Lord." She grinned at him and that was enough for him to get back to work.

Rose could feel her flesh burn and it nearly made her gag at the smell and she began to worry if she would survive this. No. She _had_ to survive. There was no ifs here. She came too long of a way to fail here. It was only the beginning. As her conciousness began to leave her, neither of them saw, that just for a moment she was surrounded by a golden light.

"Raise shields!" She heard the Doctor shout.

When Rose opened her eyes, she saw herself still at the lever. As she withdrew her hands from it she shook her head in surprise. Her palms were barely burnt! She looked at the lever and saw blood stains covering it, even though her palms were quite clean. Once she heard steps approaching, she quickly placed herself in front of the lever to hide it from the view.

"Everything alright?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeh." Rose nodded nervously. "Just a graze."

At that the Doctor took her hands to check them out. He frowned. "We'll fix them up, once we are in the TARDIS." He gently put his hands around her shoulders to lead her out of the room.

* * *

Back in the main room the Doctor was furious. "I'm bristling with ideas." He sounded more angry than excited at that. "Idea number one - teleportation through 5,000 degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two - this feed must be nearby." He made his way to the ostrich egg and smashed it hard.

"Idea number three - if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He spun the button on the teleportation feed device and Cassandra soon appeared. Everyone started arguing.

"Someone had died Cassandra. You murdered him… Tried to murder all these people here," the Doctor accused.

"That depends on your definition of 'people'," she said smartly. "And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then, Doctor! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter-"

"And creak?" the Doctor said in an uncaring voice.

"And what?" she said in confusion.

"You are creaking," the Doctor announced like it was the obvious.

Rose knew what was coming and it was hard to watch. As Cassandra was creaking more and more she couldn't watch it anymore.

"Help her," she whispered to him.

"Everything has its time and everything dies," he said harshly.

Rose was taken aback by that. She couldn't believe that she couldn't change his mind at all on this. And if Cassandra survived she could have been brought to court, then maybe the meeting with her on the New Earth would not have taken place.

* * *

As Rose watched the end of the Earth outside the glass window, she didn't notice how small tears fell down her cheeks."The end of the Earth," she said sadly. This was the year 5 billion, so far away from her own time of 2005. She understood that the power of the Sun was not something she could mess around with, so she didn't cry for that. She grieved for everyone out there, back in 2005, who weren't aware in the least that they soon would experience something so similar to the end - The battle of the Canary Wharf.

The Doctor gently pulled her in for a comforting embrace, which made Rose jump a bit, but soon she was crying hard. She hugged him tightly while sobbing and never wanted to let go.

When they landed on the Earth of 2005, Rose found it hard to control her insides scream. She wanted to yell so everyone would hear. To warn people, to tell them to hide, to not believe in ghosts. And it tore her insides apart. She didn't dare to look at the Doctor. If he saw her face now, so full of horror and pain, she would not be able to go without explanation. She felt how her body shook.

Once her body relaxed, she sniffed the air around. "Chips. Do I smell chips?" She turned to face the Doctor after a long while.

"Yeh." The Doctor sniffed himself. "Yeh! Let's us take a bite?" He grinned at her.

"Absolutely," she said with a wide smile. "And I guess it is on me. Doubt you got any money on you." She looked sceptically at him.

"Yep, no money." He smiled all happy. After a pause his expression became serious. "My planet is gone. It burnt just like the Earth." He locked gaze with her.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"There was a war. And we lost." He looked away. "I'm a Time Lord. But not just any. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They are all gone." He faced her with a face full of sorrow.

Rose shook her head. "You are not alone," she told him tenderly. "There is me. And always will be. I'm not going to leave you." Her eyes burning intensely.

The Doctor was speechless. After such a long time, for a moment he understood the weight of those words. And for a minute he felt that he was not alone.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_


	4. The Unquiet Dead

**Thank you, brilliant people, for all the support you are giving me! Here is the new chapter. Enjoy =)**

* * *

"Hold that one down!" the Doctor shouted through the alarms in the console room.

"I'm holding this one down!" Rose shot back.

"Well, hold them both down!" he instructed her, sounding like that was the obvious.

_She hated his guts sometimes._

"I promised you a Time Machine, and that's what you are getting." The Doctor had his voice raised, talking over the alarm sound. "Now, you've seen the future. Let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?"

"Good enough." She grinned at him.

With a big bump, they landed, throwing the TARDIS passengers on the floor rolling and giggling. _Oh, she so missed this!_

"Blimey!" Rose cried in between laughs.

"Tell me, mate, are you alright?" the Doctor asked while offering his hand for Rose to stand up.

"Yeh, sure I am. Nothing broken." Rose teased. The Doctor was already focusing on the screen at that moment.

"I did it!" he exclaimed out of sheer joy. "Give the man a medal. Earth - Naples - December 24th, 1860."

Rose gave him a sceptical look. "Are you sure you didn't make a few wrong turns?" She teased.

"What do you mean?" He looked hurt. "I'm a good driver!" he cried. "Let me show you, it's Christmas time." He grinned, gesturing to the doors.

"Christmas!" she repeated with enthusiasm. And was about to rush through the door when she came to a stop. She turned to the Doctor, finding his mouth half open.

He was about to say something, but Rose was first. "Right. Wardrobe." She made a few steps through the console. "And where was it again?" she asked innocently.

"How do you know we have a wardrobe?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment.

"Well, I doubt you are going around the nineteen century with sweat pants..." Rose looked at the Doctor with head down, just eyes fixing on him. "Although, you may do that," she added sarcastically. "But in this era, women wear dresses, how can I go like this?" She pointed at her clothes meaningfully.

"That makes sense," he agreed proudly. "Very good. I was just about to direct you. It's your first left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on your left. Just hurry up!" He urged her, grinning.

* * *

A nostalgic feeling came to her once she found herself in the familiar room. She looked through the clothes and found out, that the TARDIS picked the same dress for her like the last time. "I guess, this will do" _again._

When the Doctor heard footsteps across the grating, he looked up. "Blimey," he gasped in astonishment.

"Don't laugh!" Rose joked pointing a finger at him.

"You look beautiful." He checked her out from head to toe.

"Considering I'm human..." She rolled her eyes.

"Ho-" the Doctor began to say, but was interrupted. "Nevermind, lead the way." She beamed at him.

The Doctor offered his arm for Rose and they both went through the TARDIS door. Once outside, Rose's excitement only doubled. She broke free from Doctor's arm and skipped through the snow. She played there for a while while the Doctor leaned on the doors thinking.

He always knew that there was something different about her. As he watched her play and make snow balls, he couldn't help but think how _beautiful _it was. Doctor was too deep in his thoughts so he didn't notice when a ball flew right into his face.

_POOF_

_Laughing..._

Laughing. Who was laughing? He couldn't see from the snow. The Doctor rubbed the snow off of his face and found Rose hysterically laughing at him.

"Your face!" she cried, clenching her stomach.

"Oi! You are asking for it!" he threatened her with a grin. As he bent down to pick some snow, Rose was already running away from him.

After a while of running and chasing, they found themselves panting as they walked in the streets. The Doctor spotted an elderly man with newspaper and quickly grabbed for it. His face soon fell, as soon as he read what it said.

"I got flight a bit wrong. It's not 1860, it's 1869." He grimaced at that.

"I knew you would," she said playfully, chuckling.

"How would you know?" he asked her in disbelief.

"But don't worry. I don't care!" She beamed at him.

"And it's Cardiff," he announced, moments later looking at her. She was silent for a moment. But not for long. Seconds later, her mouth twitched. And she burst out laughing.

"Brilliant," she exclaimed. He narrowed his eyebrows in total confusion.

"How is that brilliant?" He tried to reason.

"But you know," Rose said softly. "Whenever we go, we are still together in this, right?" She smiled with tongue between her teeth.

"Yeh," he agreed, looking Rose in the eyes. It seemed as if he was about to say something else, when a scream from the inside of the theatre shook them. "That's more like it." He grinned manically and threw the newspaper over his shoulder, running to the source of the distress call.

* * *

Once they made their way through the running crowd they saw the blue gas flying all over the place, making a screaming sound.

"Fantastic," the Doctor exhaled.

As the Gelth made its way inside the dead elderly woman, the Doctor tried to approach Charles about the situation. From the corner of her eye, Rose saw how Mr. Sneed and Gwyneth were already picking the body up and carrying it out the doors.

"Oi! Leave her alone!" she yelled at them. "Doctor, I'll get them." She gave a quick glance at the Doctor before following the pair.

"Be careful!" She could hear the Doctor's voice as she left the room.

* * *

Once outside, Rose ran towards Gwyneth. "You can't do this." She looked worriedly at her.

"Oh, it's a tragedy miss. Don't worry, Mr. Sneed and myself will deal with it," she spoke lightly as Rose was looking at the body being carried inside the carriage by Mr. Sneed.

"Look. I'm not here to hurt you or give you away to the authorities. I'm only trying to help. I'm here with The Doctor, and we can help." Rose was looking at Gwyneth's eyes with full sincerity. But soon enough, she felt felt two hands and a cloth on her mouth pressing tightly. _Mr. Sneed. _She felt as her conciousness was leaving her._ You gonna pay for this. _

_"_Rose!" Being the last thing she heard, before the darkness consumed her.

* * *

Her head was still spinning when she came to. She rubbed her temple while her eyes focused on the view ahead. The room was filled with candles. And she was on the table. _Gelth. _She turned to her left and saw a dead man getting off the coffin while snarling at her.

"Oh, wonderful," she said sarcastically. "Stay where you are!" she warned him, but her efforts all gone in vain. The man was slowly getting closer to her, not stopping in the slightest. She made a jump off the table making her way to the door. And they were closed, of course. She turned around calmly to face the threat and saw how the elderly woman came back to life too.

"You!" She pointed at her. "Don't you move! Go back to the coffin!" She tried to reason with them, getting convinced that none of that would work on them, though. "Oh, it's not gonna help." She rolled her eyes. "I don't wanna hurt you..." she muttered sadly as she kicked the approaching man in the stomach, making him fall on the ground. But soon enough he was standing on his legs again, elderly woman right beside him.

"Doctor! Let me out!" she yelled as the man tried to grab her. Thankfully she felt him approaching and managed to dodge his arms, but now was steadily backing away from the door with two zombies marching at her. "Doctor!" she shouted out.

When their arms were inches from her throat, she heard the door being kicked open as the Doctor made his way to them, removing the man's arm from Rose. "I think this is my dance." As he pulled her closer to his side.

"It's a prank," Charles Dickens said from behind them. "It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No, we're not. The dead are walking." The Doctor told him with all seriousness when he turned to face Rose. "Hi," he greeted her all happy.

"Hi." She grinned. When she noticed Charles, she nearly called out to greet him too, but stopped herself with a mental reminder. "Who's your friend?" she asked lightly.

"Charles Dickens." The Doctor beamed at her.

"Nice to meet you, Charles!" She smiled at him, making him flush a bit in return.

"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

"We are failing," the Gelth breathed, "Open the Rift, we are dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us." As they left the bodies screaming.

Rose looked at them in disgust. She would not let them have their way this time. Not over her dead body.

* * *

"First of all, you drug me." Rose started talking furiously with Mr. Sneed. "Then kidnap me!" she yelled. "And don't think I didn't feel your hands having a wander, you dirty old man!" she spat her words at him. She could see the Doctor watching the scene in amusement. _Well, at least someone is having fun here._

"I won't be spoken to like this!" Mr. Sneed murmured.

"Yes you will!" she shouted with eyes full of fire. "Now, shut yourself up!" adding with a deadly voice.

"Yes, Ma'am." Mr. Sneed lowered his head.

"And to add to all this, you swan off and leave me to die with a room full of zombies! So come on, talk!"

"It's not my fault." Mr. Sneed talked back in defence. "It's this house. It's always had a reputation. Haunted-" He was desperately looking for pity.

"Oh, don't you put the blame to the house for drugging, kidnapping and making a wander with your hands!" She was losing the last bits of patience and it was clearly visible in her voice.

When Rose managed to get her composure back, and allowed Mr. Sneed to talk, he told them pieces of what he knew about the departed while arguing with Charles who was sternly sceptical about it.

"Oh, Charles, you were there," the Doctor said in exasperation.

"I saw nothing, but an illusion," Charles replied, uttering each word with a meaningful tone.

"If you are going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up," the Doctor shot back, clearly annoyed.

Then they learnt about the gas being a new phenomenon and the growing strength of the Gelth.

"What's the rift?" Rose asked absentmindedly.

"A weak point in time and space," the Doctor said smartly. "The connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories most of the time."

Rose just smiled fondly. _He loved to show off. _

* * *

After that, the Doctor left after Charles to check how he was doing and apologize for his rudeness. In the meantime, Rose and Gwyneth were both talking about life, school, boys and all that stuff.

"Maybe your Dad will be there too, Miss," Gwyneth said softly.

Rose nodded slowly. "You have no idea how right you are," she muttered.

"What was it, Miss?" Gwyneth looked confused.

"How did you know that my dad passed away again?" Rose asked lightly.

"Oh, I don't know. Must have been the Doctor," she answered nervously, looking away.

"Hmm." _Rose knew she lied._

"I bet you have dozen of servants," Gwyneth said cheekily.

"Oh, just a few. But I only had them for a short while. It makes me uneasy." Rose gone into her thoughts.

"And you come such a long way...You are from London. I have seen drawings of it, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked..." she said in half disgust. "And the noise." She shook her head. "And then comes the beach. So full of sorrow and sadness. It's like it ripped you apart. You are like two people torn between one world and another. London should be your home, but you feel it foreign to you," she ended in disbelief.

"Wow," Rose exclaimed. "I always knew you were psychic, but didn't expect to be _that _much."

Gwyneth backed away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright. I don't blame you. I understand. But if you see it, can you tell me, why I'm here or how did I get to become like that?" Rose asked her with pleading eyes.

It scared Gwyneth. All her power and the strange things she had seen of Rose's life. She shook her head. "I don't know. One minute you are in some kind of place full of rocks and dust and the next minute you are in the basement. And the_ light_. That golden light that surrounds you. Big Bad Wolf." She put her brows together like asking Rose for an answer.

_Bad Wolf. Oh, for goodness sake, how long it's gonna follow?_

"I'm so sorry, Miss." She closed her eyes, feeling a bit ashamed. "I can't help it - ever since I was a little girl. My mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it!"

"But it's getting stronger," the Doctor suddenly said from the doorway. Rose felt a cold sweat run through her body. _How much did he hear?_ She was already suspicious enough, now it just got worse.

She nodded. "All the time, Sir. Every night. Voices in my head."

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the _key_," the Doctor said softly.

"I tried to make sense of it. But nothing helped," she said in desperation.

"We can try one more thing. Show us what to do. We are going to have a seance," he announced.

* * *

When in the "Seance Room", Gwyneth explained the rules of it. The Doctor was nodding in understanding as he spotted Rose all frowning.

"Rose? What's the matter?" he asked. "Isn't it exciting? All those spiritual seances with ghosts, and now you gonna get just that." He grinned at her expecting a similar reaction out of her. But got none of that.

Rose gave him a warning look. "Those are not ghosts," she muttered while turning her head away and their conversation ceased.

Charles was still talking back and tried to make a run from it, but was soon forced to stay.

* * *

"They can't get through the Rift," the Doctor said while looking at the Gelth above. "Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you are controlling them. Now, look deep, allow them through," he said convincingly to her.

"Don't!" Rose shook her head in horror. That made Doctor spare her a puzzled look. Rose didn't mind him. "Don't let them through. They are_ bad_, Gwyneth," she said with deep voice as she tried to break the circle.

"Let them through, Gwyneth!" the Doctor said more sharply, squeezing Rose's hand hard to not let her off.

And soon Gelth appeared behind her. "Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us."

"A scam!" Rose yelled. "You are not worth pity."

Doctor shot a look back at her now filled with a bit of anger. "Rose, what's wrong with you?" he asked in disbelief.

"What do you want us to do?" He turned back to the Gelth.

"The Rift. Take the girl to the Rift. Make the bridge. We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction."

"Why? What happened?" the Doctor asked in concern.

"Once we had a physical form, like you. But then a war came. The Time War," the Gelth spoke. Rose closed her eyes. She knew that it would make the Doctor waver, as he was still feeling very guilty about it. She looked back at him and saw just that.

"So, that's why you want the corpses," he stated.

"We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste. Give them to us!"

"No," Rose said coldly.

"And why not?" The Doctor looked at her sceptically.

"It's not-" she began.

"Not decent? Not polite? It can save their lives," he said firmly.

"We can't make Gwyneth do this. I'll not let you do this," Rose said with firm anger and desperation rising into her.

"You are not the one in CHARGE here!" the Doctor shot back coldly.

* * *

As the Gelth left her body, Gwyneth soon collapsed and they rushed to lay her down. While Rose was looking after her, she avoided any contact with the Doctor. She was angry at him. But at the same time she understood, that she wasn't the easiest herself to trust or follow. And that just made her more dispirited.

As soon as Gwyneth woke up and started asking about her angels, the Doctor and Rose continued with their argument. Doctor was firm as a stone to help the Gelth while Rose tried to reason with him and at the same time trying to protect the girl.

"Don't I get to say, miss?" She heard as Gwyneth spoke. _N__ot again..._

"Look, you don't know what you are up against," Rose said her voice cracking a bit, worried for the girl's well being.

"You would say that. 'Cos you think I'm stupid." Rose tried to say something. "But it's alright though," Gwyneth continued. "Things may be very different from where you are from, but here and now, I know my own mind. And the angels need me."

"And you got it all wrong," Rose muttered while shaking her head.

"So tell me, Doctor. What do I need to do?" the Cardiff girl asked him, and they were preparing to leave in the search of the Rift.

"But you can't!" Rose blocked their way.

"Look, I know you think using the dead bodies is wrong, but it's not. It's just like recycling!" He tried to convince her in all honesty.

"No, it is not about _that_!" Rose shook her head. "Although, that one is wrong too...But I'm talking about Gwyneth!" She shot a glare at the Doctor.

"What about her?" the Doctor asked in astonishment, "She is just helping those in need. I hoped you would be up for it too. I'm a bit disappointed that you are so against helping them out." He knit on his brows.

Disappointed.

_Stab. _

"Help those in need?" she exclaimed. "They do not need our help! They are dangerous." She tried to reason with him, desperation in her voice.

"How are they dangerous? Now you are talking nonsense, Rose Tyler." His voice became cold.

"They tried to kill me!" She was practically shouting now. "Back then, inside that room, they grabbed me with their cold hands and I could feel them against my neck. And those same "not dangerous" species are going at innocent Gwyneth." She felt a lump in her throat.

_Just listen for once!_

"You are delusional. They were only searching for help." The Doctor held a cold gaze at her, which made her shiver. He wouldn't look at her like that. _Not her Doctor._

"They are going to hurt her," she said with a hurt expression.

"Can't you believe in me?" Her voice slightly broke at the end.

_Just this little bit...She wasn't asking much. Just...faith._

The Doctor kept silent a bit. His eyes were trailing from her to the side of the room, frantically looking for the right answer. With the last glance he showed her, she knew. There was no hope.

"Charles. We are going. Gwyneth, Mr. Sneed, lead the way." As he walked past Rose.

Rejection.

_More stabs._

She could feel how her breath quickened and it was harder to breath. _He did not believe in her. _She was nothing to him! Heh, how could she blame him? He barely knew her! She knew him for years, but he only have met her not long ago. She could bet he only thinks of her as some crazy ape.

_And she was so alone. _

She felt how her conciousness literally split into two. In one way, she was happy to be with her Doctor again, in her rightful universe with mum, and soon she would learn about aliens herself, but then again, it would be Rose who will have to calm her mum down, not the other way around. Also, soon they would meet Jack, Pete, Harriet Jones...On the other hand, she was all alone. Since the moment her timeline was somehow reset to the beginning, she was left there alone with all the knowledge. And not like anybody came forward to explain her _why was this happening_.

She would still feel sometimes that maybe all that's happening was just a dream. A very cruel dream. And once she wakes up, it will all be gone. Even the slight hope of being with her Doctor would be gone. Her body shook as silent sobs echoed inside the room.

Rose took a deep breath before leaving the room to follow the others.

* * *

When she came to the morgue, Gwyneth was already making her way towards the arch, with everyone else stepping back. Rose was walking towards Gwyneth, when she felt firm arms hold her back.

"Stay put." The Doctor's voice reached her ears. "She needs to do that." Rose tried to move away, but the Doctor was holding her too tightly.

_She couldn't let that happen._ She struggled some more, hitting the Doctor in the stomach as she made her way to Gwyneth. The girl was already one foot on the arch when Rose grabbed her hand and tossed her aside stepping in the arch herself.

She could feel a sudden energy thrown inside of her, which suffocated her. _Now she has done it._ She started coughing and it was starting to be hard to breath. She was loosing her focus. But there was still enough of her to remember the grip in her hand a minute earlier still beating a pulse.

She felt her head spin and soon her knees were on the ground. Her throat was on fire as Gelth tried to pass through, but from lack of power from the source, they were stuck in between.

"Let us THROUGH!" They struggled fiercely, making Rose lose air more and more. Her eyes were all watery and she couldn't see a thing anymore.

"ROSE!" She heard a frantic voice calling her name somewhere distant. She couldn't reply.

Only then she understood just what it meant for her to save their lives. Why it was so hard with the lever and now. Those people sacrificed their lives not for nothing. They were meant to do a greater good with their actions. And now, while saving them, Rose took upon herself all what they were meant to do. She painfully realised that while saving the others she may lose her own life in the process, and she may never reach Canary Wharf that way.

Second by second she felt her breathing become more shallow, her whole body was feeling limp and she would lose conciousness any minute now.

"Rose! Stay awake!" The voice still calling her.

And then the blackness came.

* * *

Rose felt her body being carried by strong arms. She could feel leather against her skin. Wait. Leather? As in the Doctor's leather jacket? She had to wake up. She fluttered her eyelids and slowly slowly opened them. The view was still a bit hazy, but soon she came to focus. She saw a familiar face sigh in relief, and she could see a soft smile make its way on his lips.

"You are going to be alright." His eyes were full of concern and warmth now. "A bit of lack of oxygen, but you are going to get it back. Look, it's snowing outside," he exclaimed with a huge smile.

Rose formed a faint smile. She was glad, the Doctor was not cold to her anymore. She reached for his cheek with her hand and cupped it. The action shocked him a bit and he made an odd expression on his face, but he soon relaxed on her touch, letting her do as she pleases.

She felt her heart fill up with warmth. She did it, didn't she? She came back alive, and her Doctor was sweet to her, and Gwyneth should be here somewhere..._Gwyneth._

Rose made a jump at that thought and the Doctor, losing balance, kinda let her roll on the snow.

"Wha-, Rose! What are you doing?" He looked all confused at her.

"Gwyneth!" Rose yelled pulling onto his sleeves. "Gwyneth! Where is she?" Her frantic eyes where looking for an answer in his.

There was a pause, after which the Doctor's expression shadowed. "She is gone," he muttered.

_Gone._

"Gone how?" she yelled back at him. "What do you mean gone? I-I pushed her aside, didn't I?" Her voice shaky.

He grabbed her by her shoulders. "There was nothing we could do, it was the only way to stop the Gelth from coming through. She had to keep them with her." The Doctor told her with a regret in his voice.

_No._

_No._

"NO!" Rose shouted. "No, she couldn't." She shook her head. "She is not, right? She is not!" Desperately looking at the Doctor, Rose tried to find reason in him.

"I got to find her. Help her." She was standing up, or more like standing and falling, so in the end crawling throughout the snow, but was soon stopped by the Doctor. He grabbed her on her waist as he was pulling her back.

"No, let me go!" Rose struggled. "Let me go! I got to go!" she cried, tears falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor soothed her. "I'm sorry"

"NOO!" she yelled out. "If I didn't save her, then why I'm HERE?. WHY?" As she sobbed the Doctor pressed her against him rocking her slightly.

She failed her. She failed Gwyneth, and she couldn't do anything to help her.

* * *

When everything calmed down, they found themselves at Dickens' house. The Doctor and Rose sat in the living room silently, Rose holding a cup of tea in her hands.

"I shouldn't have doubted you." The Doctor began faintly. "It's all my fault." He closed his eyes. "When they mentioned the Time War, I couldn't resist. I pitied them!" he said angrily.

Rose couldn't bear to see him like that. She reached for his hand and placed hers on his. "It was not your fault, Doctor," she said tenderly, looking him in the eyes. "Neither was."

"But it nearly cost you your life," he added painfully.

Rose just shook her head. "It's alright. I chosen this. I made my decision to help them out, even if I failed..." She turned her gaze away.

"Now, Rose Tyler. You, from all of the people, cannot blame yourself for this." His voice serious but gentle. "You were so brave back then. And so human," he ended softly. "And I lost that, back there. I lost humanity and I need you to remind me of that sometimes. I won't doubt you anymore." He smiled at her.

Rose felt how her heart filled with warmth and _love_ for this man. She ached to share all her thoughts and worries with him, but even if she couldn't do that, she was at least allowed to do this.

And then, she leaned forward, her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulders. She felt the Doctor stiffen for a bit,but not for long. Soon his arms were wrapped around her. They would have stayed like that, if a cough from behind them wouldn't have startled them.

"I'm sorry to disturb your..." Charles gestured at them meaningfully. "I got to say your bold movements perplex me, but I guess with all the things I have seen today, nothing should surprise me anymore."

"We were no-" The Doctor tried to defend himself but that moment Rose stood up and walked towards Charlie.

"Thank you for all you did, Charlie." She smiled at him fondly and kissed his cheek softly, making the Doctor jump a bit in disbelief and _jealousy?_

* * *

They left Charles house, told their goodbyes and were walking towards the TARDIS.

"I don't mean to impose on you, Doctor. But I gotta ask this...my books.. Do they last?" Charles asked hopefully.

"Oh yeh!" The Doctor beamed.

"For how long?"

"Forever," the Doctor answered softly.

_Forever. _Rose had a gentle smile on her face at hearing those words.

"Right. Shed. Come on, Rose." The Doctor's voice shook her slightly.

"In - in the box? Both of you?" Charles said, slightly scandalised.

"Down boy." The Doctor told him. "See ya."

They decided to make one last surprise for Charlie as the TARDIS dematerialised right in front of him.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**_A/N: I was wondering. Am I the only stupid one or there would be others who would be confused when the Doctor pointed out the direction of the wardrobe in that fast voice of his? ;D I know that my first word would be "What?" not rushing inside. True, she heard it for the second time now, but the first time, I have no idea how she got it._**

**I know I made this chapter a bit sad, but as I thought about it, Rose never really got over Canary Wharf and the separation, and she was thrown into this timeline with no explanation and to add to all that she couldn't save Gwyneth. So, it made sense for me to make her break down. But I'm not planning to keep the depressed mood. So, no worries. :)**

**_Oh, and reviews are more than welcomed. Always nice to hear what you think. _**


	5. Aliens of London

**Uff, finally this one is finished. I had a few block outs while writing it, but somehow I managed to do it. Yay. Heh. Anyway, as always, thank you for being awesome and following this little story of mine. Here you go.**

**Oh. And. Disclaimer : I do not own anything which could be illegally owned. Like Doctor Who. And do I even need to write this?**

* * *

With a wheezing sound the blue police box landed outside the Powell Estate. Shortly after, the TARDIS doors swung open and Rose stepped out.

As she breathed in the familiar air of her home city, she felt her heart tighten. She missed this place so much. And the last time she was here, all her thoughts were on the Doctor. So in the end, she didn't take in her surroundings all that well.

"How long I've been gone?" Rose asked as she heard him coming behind her.

"About 12 hours." The Doctor smiled at her proudly.

"You sure you didn't get a few years wrong this time?" She teased him.

"Oi! I'm sure. Go and check for yourself." He sounded a slightly bit hurt, but soon a smile returned on his face. "What're you gonna tell them?"

"Oh, you know. That I have been to 5 billions years in the future, saw the Earth explode and then I met Charles Dickens in 1869." She shrugged. The Doctor just snorted at that.

"No, I'm just gonna tell her that I spent the night at Shareen's," she ended lightly. _Although, maybe telling mum the truth would have been wiser. Oh well, she is gonna learn it anyway._

"Besides, I have already left a few messages for her from the TARDIS, so she shouldn't be that worried, right?" she asked mockingly. "Unless, they didn't reach the recipient. That wouldn't be any surprise." She joked.

The Doctor frowned. "Hurry up, go on. You have been standing here for too long. Don't make your mother wait." Feeling clearly offended he tried to dismiss the subject. He could hear Rose chuckle as she ran towards her flat.

Just outside the doors, Rose came to a stop. She gave herself a few deep breaths, mentally preparing herself for her mother's chiding. She warned her mother about _possibly_ being away for a month and left a few messages, but they should have arrived in the few days after her departure. Thus they wouldn't be much of help. The remaining eleven months Jackie would have been left without a word from her daughter. Rose sighed. She _so_ didn't wait for this part.

"I'm back!" she called out in the hallway.

No answer.

"Mum? Are you inside?" _Okay, that was new_. She was already starting to feel worried, when she spotted her mother casually drinking tea in the kitchen.

"Look who is back," Jackie said bitterly.

"Eh? Yeh, well. That's me." Rose laughed nervously. She inspected the kitchen table and saw no fliers of her _Missing._

Weird. Could it be that the Doctor got the time right this time 'round?

"I thought you never would return from your _travelling,"_ she spat the last world with disgust. "You disappear one day, making me only one call and then those few messages coming throughout the months. Do you feel so little of your mother?" Jackie asked her with hurtful expression.

"Ah. Um. I don't!" Rose tried to form words. So she _was _gone for a year. But the messages? Of course. How could the TARDIS get them in time. They must have arrived months delayed.

Seconds later the Doctor burst out the doors.

"It's not 12 hours. It's 12 months. You have been gone a whole year. Sorry." He laughed nervously.

"I noticed." Rose shot him a look and sighed.

* * *

"So tell me then, where were you _travelling?"_ Jackie began her interrogation. "For days and weeks and months I have been left alone. Wondering what could have possibly had happened to make you run away from home in such a state."

"I didn't run away from home, mum. As you said, I was travelling." Rose tried to reason.

"What the hell does that mean,_ travelling? _That's not sort of answer."

"That's what I was doing." _Blimey, how did the conversation came to be the same as the last time._

_"_With your passport still in the draw. It's just one lie after another!" Jackie shouted.

"But I phoned you," Rose said innocently.

"One phone call and a few messages in a _whole year?"_

"Actually, it's my fault. I kinda...employed her as my...companion." The Doctor tried to defend Rose carefully.

"Companion," Jackie repeated bitterly. "Are you using my daughter for your sexual needs?" Jackie shot an aggressive look right at him.

"No!" Rose and the Doctor both shook their heads in disbelief. _Great, so one way or another, officer or her mum, it still comes to that. Is that's how they look like to them?_

"Then what is it? Jackie came forward. "You come one day at my house, make my living room a mess, and the next thing I know, my daughter somehow disappears while travelling. And how old are you? 40? 45?" she spat her words. "Who are you anyway?"

"As I said. I am the Doctor," he said nonchalantly.

"I'm asking for your name!" Jackie gave him a warning look.

"I just told you that." He looked at her in bewilderment.

"Is that right? Then stitch this, mate."

_SLAP_

Rose looked at her mother as shocked as the Doctor himself.

* * *

"I can't believe she still slapped you," Rose exclaimed while waving her legs on the roof.

"Still?" the Doctor asked puzzled. _As always with Rose Tyler._

_"_She got all those messages, but she still found fault in you." She chuckled. "You were being rude." She teased him.

"No, I was not." The Doctor defended himself. "She asked for my name, and I did tell her," he cried. "And I'm never rude. Why would you say that?"

"Not just yet," she muttered under hear breath.

"What was it?" the Doctor asked.

Rose just shook her head. "You should know, that, The Doctor, doesn't really work on humans. In the end, you kinda asked for that slap." She smiled at him pitying.

"Asked for it? Since when do I ask for slaps!?" he exclaimed. "900 years in time and space and I have never been slapped by someone's mother," he grumbled. Pause. "What are you gonna do now?"

_Wait for the next spaceship to hit the Thames. _

"Well, we gonna have to come for some visits. I can't put her through that again," she only said.

"So you are still coming with me?" he asked in relief.

"Why wouldn't I? Oh. Right. I guess I _do _have a bit of reasons why." She teased and the Doctor frowned. "So, you are 900 years old?" she asked softly, fully well knowing the answer.

"Yeh," he answered seriously. Rose just nodded in understanding.

"A bit young, aren't you?" she mocked him.

"I'm though!" he cried. Then his face became serious. "I'm sorry. I made things difficult for you and your mother. But she can't become part of this."

"Maybe she can," Rose said softly, looking him in the eyes.

"She is not coming with us!" the Doctor shot back. "I don't do families." Then he turned his head back to facing the scenery.

"I'm gonna use those same words against you one day." She pointed at him chuckling.

And soon enough, the spaceship engine's sound could be heard in the air. As it passed above their heads, it flew through the Big Ben, finally crashing into the Thames.

"Here comes our prey." Rose grinned at the Doctor and he laughed out loud.

* * *

They rushed towards the path the spaceship passed by seconds ago and soon found themselves trapped in a jam. All the roads were blocked, with people pacing about and military officers maintaining the order of things.

"I can't believe it! This is _fantastic." t_he Doctor said in a voice full of excitement.

"Yeh, but we are trapped and unable to get close enough as we are now." She smirked at him.

"What are you suggesting, Madcap-y?" he asked with expectation.

"You are still gonna use it, aren't you?" she asked him in a slightly disappointed voice.

"What?" The Doctor asked her in bewilderment.

"Madcap-y."

"'Course I will. What would be the nickname for, if only used once?" he asked her in an obvious tone.

"Alright. Well, this is not gonna work," Rose exhaled. "We gotta do this the human way. Let's go back to my mum's and watch it on telly." She grinned.

"You got the brain, Rose Tyler," he said in a scoffing manner and it made Rose laugh. "Sometimes," he ended, making her scowl.

* * *

_LONDON UFO CRASH_

_ALIEN EMERGENCY HELPLINE_

Were all over the news. It made Rose restless. She wanted herself back in the action, as she already knew all the details of the _fake _alien crash the world was so concerned about. On the other hand, Slitheen were something to be worried about.

"They found the body. I've been informed, that the body has been found," the voice in the telly reported.

Rose looked back at the Doctor and found his eyebrows raised with a smile making its way on his face.

_The body._

The poor little creature. Rose wondered if dying was the best solution for it. If any association would have gotten hands of it, he would have suffered a great deal of fear. A lot more than what he had felt while running away from the lab. Rose hated it. Hated that even with such a great knowledge of things, she was useless in some ways. And she hated all the more to think that death could be a solution. It would be even worse if Torchwood would get hands on him.

_Torchwood._

Rose felt a stab in her heart. And it hurt quite a lot. She wondered when she would get over it. At the same time she watched as the Doctor was trying to pull the TV controller from neighbour kid's grasp. He looked so adorable with the child, that Rose chuckled. And the next second was shaking her head, trying to shake her thoughts away.

When she looked up to the Doctor again, she found him looking at her with one of his _you must be mental _expressions. Rose frowned at once.

* * *

After sunset the Doctor was ready to leave on his own private _inspection. _This time Rose wanted to come too. Hence, after informing her mother that she is going to meet Mickey, she carefully left the flat before being noticed by the Doctor. She rushed to the place where the TARDIS was parked and waited patiently for the Doctor to come.

She hid herself on one side of the TARDIS, so when the Doctor unlocked the doors, Rose was left unnoticed.

_1..._

_2..._

_3..._

She counted and rushed inside the TARDIS at the same time making the Doctor jump in surprise, therefore accidently pressing the last button to dematerialise the TARDIS.

"What are you doing here?" He looked at her in bewilderment.

"I knew you would be up for something. Don't think you can make me stay out of it," she chided him while pointing a finger at him.

"I'm guessing Mickey is not with you?" He frowned at her.

"Nope." She pointed the "_p"_. "Oh, but we will see him soon enough, no need to worry about him just yet." She dismissed the topic lightly. Before the Doctor could comment, she added. "So, what's the plan?" Rose grinned, making the Doctor answer her with a grin of his own, in full excitement.

* * *

They parked the TARDIS in some kind of storage room. And it was quite cramped in there.

"Where are we exactly?" Rose whispered.

"In the hospital where the alien pilot has been taken," he whispered her back with a smile while unlocking the doors with his sonic screwdriver.

With the doors opened, they found themselves in a room full of military officers. It took them a while to react, but soon they were at arms, pointing their guns at them.

"Excellent landing," Rose whispered the Doctor with half of her mouth, seconds later smiling innocently at the men in front.

"Ah." Was all the Doctor said while smiling at the threatening guns in front.

Then a scream echoed somewhere distant and the Doctor was once again in charge. "Defence part delta. Come on!" he commanded the men, taking Rose's hand in his and running ahead.

While running in the long hallway, hand in hand, Rose tried to hide her smile, but failed most of the time. She loved this. Running together with her Doctor. And she will make sure that he will not be able to drop her somewhere while he was out there alone in the action. When they reached the room where they heard the scream come from, they saw a woman crawling on the floor with eyes full of fear.

"It's alive!" she said with a trembling voice.

"Spread out. Tell the perimeter it's a lock down," the Doctor instructed the men behind.

"What does it look like?" the Doctor asked the woman while kneeling beside her.

_Clang._

"It's still there," the Doctor exclaimed.

After hearing the sound, Rose followed it. "Rose! Come back here, we don't fully know what's out there," the Doctor warned her.

_But she knew. _So she didn't stop.

_Clang._

The sound of some metal being dropped echoed in the room. Rose crawled on the floor, following the sound. She could feel the Doctor just behind her. She guessed he understood, that there was no way to convince her to back down, so the only thing he could do was look after her back, in case she was put in danger.

She peeked out of the corner of the table at the same time as the pig creature. As it made an _oink _sound, Rose greeted it. "Hello there," she greeted him softly. The Doctor stiffened at once, as he was yet to see what Rose was seeing and put his arms on her shoulders in defence.

And that action alone was enough for the pig creature to jump and start running from the _possible threat. _

"No!" Rose stood up at once. "Don't run away!" she cried.

_Click._

The sound of the gun being loaded was heard. "Don't shoot!" the Doctor ordered.

The pig was running around the room aimlessly, when Rose quickly made a jump on it and wrapped her arms around the creature. It tried to struggle, but as Rose soothed it to calm down, it ceased to try to get away. Everyone in the room looked at her and the pig in her arms in astonishment.

* * *

When the military squad was dismissed, the Doctor, Rose and the woman scientist called Tosh made their way to the holding cell room. The pig creature was put under bars in some sort of cage and it seemed like it was starting to get nervous again. Rose tried to calm it down as much as possible while the Doctor was talking with the woman.

"I just assumed that's how the aliens looked like. But you are saying it's a mere pig, from Earth." Tosh was still in denial.

"More like a mermaid." The Doctor's face shadowed. "It was genetically modified into a Humanoid form with an enhanced brain."

"So it's a fake," Tosh stated. "But the technology which was used in the process is like nothing on Earth. It's alien. Aliens are faking aliens..._Why would they do that?_" They could hear the woman's voice as the Doctor and Rose left the room.

"We got to get him out of here," Rose said in all seriousness.

"Yeh."

"Does that mean you already got a plan?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Not just yet," he exhaled.

"Well, better make one soon. We don't have much time until they start some more dangerous experiments on it." Rose and the Doctor locked their eyes for a moment and rushed towards the TARDIS.

* * *

As they landed in Rose's neighbourhood, she saw her mum on the monitor with Mickey right beside her. _Here it comes. _

"My mum is here," Rose said simply.

When the Doctor turned around he saw Jackie and Mickey already inside of the TARDIS. "Oh, that's just what I need," he said bitterly. "Don't you dare make this place domestic." The Doctor pointed a finger at Rose.

"You've ruined my life Doctor," Mickey started. "I just mentioned it once, that maybe you have been sold in some kind of alien land." He pointed at Rose. "And they held me for questioning 5 times, thinking I was part of Human trafficking organisation because of you." He looked back at the Doctor.

"See what I mean? Domestic," the Doctor said bitterly.

"I bet you don't even remember my name!" Mickey came forward in a stance like he was looking for a fight.

"Rickey," the Doctor said dismissively.

"It's Mickey." Mickey frowned.

"No, it's Rickey," the Doctor said in a voice like he knew better.

"I think I know my own name." Mickey didn't budge.

"You _think_ you know your own name. How stupid are you?" The Doctor looked down at Mickey from where he stood.

"Don't start a fight here." Rose rolled her eyes and saw how Jackie was already making a run through the TARDIS doors. _Go. Call the authorities. Inform them of another alien. _

Rose shook her head. "You aren't going after her?" She heard the Doctor ask.

"Not like I can stop her." She faked a sigh.

* * *

Moments later, Rose found the Doctor and Mickey already bickering with each other.

"So, what're you doing down there?" Mickey asked The Doctor as he was making some adjustments to the TARDIS under her console.

"Rhikey," the Doctor answered him with sonic screwdriver in his mouth.

"Mickey," Mickey corrected him once again.

"Rickey," Doctor repeated as soon as he pulled the screwdriver out of his mouth. Mickey just rolled his eyes. "If I were to tell you, what I was doing to the control's of my friendly magnificent time ship...would you even begin to understand?" he ended with a sneer.

"I suppose not-"

"Then shut it." The Doctor smiled at him coldly.

Clearly losing the "fight" Mickey came to stand besides Rose. "Some friend you've got there." Pointing at the Doctor's direction.

Rose just smiled at him sadly. "I'm sorry for putting you through this." And she was. Mickey was a good guy and she wanted him happy.

"Alright." Mickey turned his gaze away.

"I am though!" Rose pleaded with her eyes for him to understand.

Mickey looked back at her. "Every day I would go outside to look for a blue box. For a whole _year." _His voice clearly hurt.

"I'm sorry." Was all Rose could say.

"Did you even miss me?" Mickey looked at her with eyes full of _last_ hope.

She didn't see much of Mickey back in the parallel universe. He was always rushing about, helping people in need. And she was so proud of him.

"Yeh. I did miss you," she said fondly.

She cleared her throat while turning her eyes away on the grating. "Look, Mickey...once this is all over...can we go have a cup of tea or something?" Rose said slowly.

Mickey beamed at her words. _Sigh._ She hated to give him false hopes, but not like she could have _that _talk with him in front of the Doctor. She had to let Mickey free. And the sooner the better. Since she knew, that whether she lives a few days, a few years, or a few decades, her life will always be dedicated to her Doctor.

Mickey was already leaning in to kiss Rose when the Doctor's voice startled him. She breathed in relief and gratitude. "Got it. HAHA!" the Doctor exclaimed lively, making Rose and Mickey come closer to the monitor he was now looking all madly at.

They learnt that the spaceship originally flew into space from the Earth itself and that it was possible it has been there for a while now, waiting for the right moment.

They watched the News and the Doctor saw a few familiar faces from the UNIT, who were pointed out by Mickey in all proud manner.

"It's aliens out there. And fake aliens. I wanna keep this alien out of the mix," the Doctor ended, pointing at his chest. "I'm going undercover."

"Or straight in the spotlight," Rose muttered, making Doctor shot her a questioning look, which Rose just shrugged at.

"Mickey, you can drive. Let's have a look at that spaceship," the Doctor said as he left through the TARDIS door.

At that moment TARDIS was already surrounded by police and military, and lights were shot at them with loudspeaker echoing in the neighbourhood.

Mickey made a run from it, making the corner under the trash bin as his hideout.

"Take me to your leader," the Doctor exclaimed all happy with hands put in defence mode. Shortly after, they were put in the police car and, as the Doctor said, _escorted to 10 Downing Street._

Giggling and laughing could be heard outside, echoing from the driving police car.

* * *

As they got out the police car, they found themselves once again in a full spotlight. All paparazzi going around, making pictures, asking questions made Rose feel a bit tired. She was not very thrilled to meet her old friends Slitheen again. Although, making a visit to 10 Downing Street once more before they blow it up was worth it. It seemed the Doctor was keen on blowing things up. And he dared to blow up Her Majesty's headquarters. She still couldn't believe it.

Once they made their way inside some kind of big waiting room, the man Rose could remember from the previous time, came up to the Doctor and gave him his ID card.

"I'm sorry, your companion doesn't get hers." He pointed at Rose.

"I'm not going anywhere without her," the Doctor answered him like it was the obvious.

"You are code 9, not her. I'm sorry, Doctor." He tried to reason. "She will have to stay outside."

"She will stay with me." The Doctor refused to budge. That made Rose smile. _Oh, she loved to see him like that. _

"It's alright, you can go." Rose told him with a smile.

"You sure?" The Doctor was still sceptical about it.

"Yeh, I'll just wait for you to come back...or go investigate something else..." Rose added innocently.

"Don't go looking for trouble!" The Doctor gave her a warning look.

"I'll be alright, Doctor," she told him fondly.

"Okay. I'll see you then." And with a quick last glance he turned and exited the room.

The previous man was already trying to make Rose sit down and wait for the Doctor when Harriet Jones interrupted him, telling him that she would look after her. _Good ol' Harriet. _

After leaving the room, Harriet introduced herself and soon after she told Rose of all the things she had seen recently - burst out in tears. After soothing the woman, she held as a dear friend, they resumed their walking through the hallway.

* * *

As they continued walking, Rose disappeared into her own world of thoughts._ Vinegar. _Maybe with some vinegar they could defend themselves from Slitheen Blaine. She needed to find the kitchen. Wait. Did 10 Downing Street even had a kitchen? And anyway. _Could she just kill her off in cold blood?_ She needed a second chance. They gave it to her, by maker her an egg. Could she just take that chance from her?

"Kitchen or no kitchen." Rose didn't notice how she started muttering out loud.

"Young lady, I don't understand how could you be thinking about food in a moment like this," Harriet stated in disbelief. "How would you even be able to stomach anything!?"

"It's no-" Rose began.

"Throw those thoughts away. We got more important things at hands." Harriet Jones cut her off sharply.

"No, but really-" Rose tried to reason, but was soon pushed inside the room. _Great. She was here again._ Her glance quickly fell on the wardrobe at the end of the room. She was sure that the very prime minister's body was laying there at this moment, waiting until someone opens the doors, so that it could fall out. Rose winced at the scene she remembered. She hated this, but it was her job to show those people that the Prime Minister was dead.

She started blabbering about something alien and signals as she made her way near the wardrobe and with a deep breath opened the doors - prime minister falling out of it. Harriet gasped at that.

Soon enough, the man caught up to them and was pacing inside the room unhappily. "Harriet, you can't just take people under your control like that-" He saw the Prime Minister on the ground. "Oh my God! It's the Prime Minister," he breathed. Rose was already looking frantically at the doors, waiting for Blaine to show up.

"Uh..." A sly voice echoed through the doors. "Has someone been naughty?" Her figure could be seen in the shadows. Rose frowned as Blaine closed the doors.

"It's not possible...he left this afternoon!" The man was still trying to make some sense. "He was driven away!"

"And who told you that?" Slitheen woman was slowly making her way further inside the room. "Mee," she sang as she pulled her zipper to show her true form. When she was about to grab the man in front, Rose tried to push the Slitheen away, but unsuccessfully. Blaine sharply pushed Rose away, making her fly into the wardrobe's doors, wincing at the pain on the head.

_Okay, it was time she started worrying. _

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**Don't know what you think about me saving the Space Pig, but I just couldn't bare to kill it off. Before I knew it, Rose was already running towards it and soothing it, and I just couldn't make it break free from her grip to be shot...it's just...just...**

**Anyway, please let me know what you think of all of this. And. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with the piggy, but if I was to do something...does anybody got a name in mind? ;D**


	6. World War Three

**I was so glad to hear your feedback on the previous chapter. Thank you all. And thank you, ElfDrake for pointing out my few mistakes. Seriously, people. If you see nonsense written, then, please, write to me about it. I really don't wanna leave my horrible typos laying down there. ;D **

**And here comes our little chapter. Hope it doesn't disappoint any of you. **

* * *

_Thud_

Blon dropped the body from her grasp, as she felt high volt of electricity run through her body. _It was the chance to get away. _Rose grabbed Harriet's hand into hers and pulled her away from the wardrobe, towards the doors. She could hear the future Prime Minister gasp, when she saw the Slitheen squeal and struggle, from the shock she was getting.

They ran through the corridors. Taking turn after turn. It had been a while since Rose was last here. _Great. It seems she was lost. _"No, wait." Harriet Jones' voice stopped her into her tracks. "The emergency protocols! They're still in there. We need them!" Harriet said, desperation in her voice. Before Rose could react, the woman was already making a turn to the room where the Slitheen was.

"Wait!" Rose yelled out. But it was too late. Harriet came to a stop, when she saw the Slitheen there and quickly exited the room, running from its sight. They dashed through one door just to exit another one, as the alien kept following them with high speed and strength, breaking through any barriers.

_Okay, Rose. Think, think. Where is the safe place to hide now..._

_Ring_

The elevator sound disturbed her thoughts.

"Doctor!" she shouted out to him.

"Hello." The Doctor greeted them both and the Slitheen, which was cornering him into the lift. In a second he buzzed his sonic screwdriver to close the lift. Soon enough, the Slitheen from the lift were following Harriet and Rose instead. _Brilliant._

Once they got inside the room, Rose didn't bother to check the doors, since she knew that none of the doors in _this_ room were open. She hid herself besides the curtain with Harriet close to her. _Okay. Just a moment and Doctor should come with the fire extinguisher. _She would have gotten it herself, but then again, she didn't know the place of where it was kept and maybe by taking it before the Doctor she would put him in danger instead.

"Well, this has worked out the last time. Should be the same now," Rose mutter under her breath, making a nervous laugh sound. Moments later, she could hear as Margaret entered the room and started talking with her _sweet_ voice.

"You are such fun. Little human _childreeen_. Where _aaare_ youuu?" she sang.

_Oh, Rose hated this alien. _She wondered if she made the right choice by giving her her second chance for the second time. She observed the room for any weapons, but soon thought otherwise, when two more Slitheen entered the room. _She was clearly outnumbered._ In a few steps Blaine made her way to Rose and pulled the curtain open to reveal the human there.

It came to a bit of a shock to her, when she saw only a disappointed expression on the girl. "What's it with you, little human?" She began, curiously glancing Rose from head to toe. "I don't smell fear from you..." Her face was beginning to look angrier, if her face could show any emotions altogether.

"I don't fear you, Slitheen." Rose gave her a smirk, which seemed to offend Blon even more.

"Then I shall show you, where you were wrong, my dear." And the next moment she was already pointing her claws at Rose. For a moment Rose could feel her heartbeat quicken a bit. _Fat lot of good you are. _Rose chided her body.

"NOO!" Harriet's voice echoed inside the room. "Take me, FIRST!" Her hands pulled in the air.

And with those words, the doors burst open, the Doctor running inside with a big fire extinguisher in his hands. As expellant gas emitted from the extinguisher into aliens' faces, Rose didn't need to be asked twice to get out of the room. But just before exiting, she pulled the curtain on Blon and kicked her in the legs to see her fall down on the ground.

When they gone out of the room, only then the Doctor seemed to notice Harriet. "Who the hell are you?" he asked in wonder.

"Harriet Jones. MP of Flydale North," she announced.

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor said lightly.

"Likewise." Harriet rushed her response as they were running towards the cabinet room. Behind their backs, the three Slitheen were jumping in full speed to catch up to them. After passing a few corridors, they gone inside the cabinet room just to see the trio on the other side of the doors.

Then the Doctor bluffed his way through with the decanter, making them believe that he would blew them all up if they made another step. _Though the bluff won't stay a bluff for long. _After a few questions, one of the Slitheens seemed to caught on.

"Aaaaahhh, Excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?" he asked sceptically.

"Is that what I said?" the Doctor said while biting his lower lip.

"You're making it up!" the Slitheen accused.

"Oh well, nice try. Harriet." He offered Harriet Jones the decanter. "Have a drink. I think you're gonna need it."

"You pass it to the left first."

"Sorry." He handed it to Rose, but Rose refused to take it and with a laugh gave it back to Harriet.

"No, it's alright. You can keep it." She grinned at the woman. It made the Doctor and Harriet look at her in bewilderment.

"What?" she just asked innocently.

"Better pass it to the left," the Doctor said while getting his gaze back at Slitheen.

"To the left." Harriet slowly gave Rose the decanter back, not meeting her eyes. Rose just looked at her hands, now occupied once again and frowned. _They think I have gone mad already. _

The Doctor tried to look tough for a moment, not showing any sign of fear while facing the aliens, while they, on the other hand, were sharpening their claws.

"Fascinating history, Downing Street..." The Doctor began to show off his unlimited knowledge. "If the Cabinet was in session, and in danger, these were about the four safest walls in the whole of Great Britain. End of Lesson." He hit a switch, activating the steel safety doors.

"Installed in 1991, 3 inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in," the Doctor exclaimed proudly, to which Rose just rolled her eyes.

"Great!" Rose beamed at him mockingly. "But how do we get out?"

The Doctor looked around and nodded. "Ah."

* * *

Inside the Cabinet room, the Doctor pulled the _unnamed _man inside the cabin. "Sorry," the Doctor said, looking at him. Seconds later, he was going about the room, trying to find the signal to get out. _It's never going to work. _Rose took her surroundings as she knew it would be the last place she was in of the Downing Street._ Now, only the rocket will get us out._

The Doctor told her about the Slitheen having an ability to compress themselves to become a bit smaller for fitting into human bodies. "Oh, it could come in handy if I had such an ability," Rose said jokingly, he just grinned.

"Excuse me, people are dead. This is no time for making jokes," Harriet scolded them.

"Sorry," Rose said in a voice which didn't sound sorry at all. "You get used to this stuff, when you stay friends long enough with him." Rose pointed towards the Doctor.

"Well, that's a strange friendship," Harriet stated.

While the Doctor tried to find reason how did he knew Harriet Jones, the future Prime Minister was complaining about not getting any use of the emergency protocols, since all of the needed people were downstairs - dead.

"We could just launch a missile at them." Rose shrugged. Harriet looked at her in astonishment and horror.

"You are very violent, young woman."

"I'm serious, we could," Rose said simply.

The Doctor and Harriet were having a small conversation when Rose's phone buzzed. "How do you get a signal here?" the woman asked in disbelief.

"Oh, he's got a super phone," Rose said teasingly.

A picture of Slitheen was seen on the phone. Rose could feel her blood drain. _Her mum! She forgot about the Slitheen at the Powell Estate. How could she had done that?_ She was already panicking when the Doctor asked her. "What is it?" With a gulp Rose answered. "It's Mickey." Her forehead wrinkled.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend, we are busy." He shot a look of annoyance. Rose glared at him in hurt, though he was not the one at fault.

"He's not stupid. Look!" She showed him the picture. Moments later they were on the phone.

"Is that Rickey? Don't talk. Just shut up and go to your computer." The Doctor instructed.

"It's Mickey. And why should I?" Mickey's voice could be heard from the other side of the phone.

"Rickey the idiot. I might just choke up before I finish this sentence but...ah... I need you," he finished forcefully. Rose grinned at that.

Mickey was hacking into the UNIT's database, Harriet was pacing the room while Jackie was talking from the speaker. "I have seen this life of your's, Doctor. And maybe you get up for it. And maybe you think it's all clever and smart. But, you, tell me. Just answer me this." Rose closed her eyes, knowing what was coming.

"Is my daughter safe?"

"I'm going be just fine, mum." Rose told her mum through the speaker.

"Is she safe?" Jackie repeated. "Will she always be safe?"

Rose took a deep breath.

"I won't be, without him, mum," Rose said softly. The Doctor looked up at her in confusion. Rose smiled at him sadly. "Just believe in us, alright?" She spoke to the speaker again.

_A pause._

"We are in." Mickey's voice echoed in the room. The Doctor instructed Mickey about the site when a door bell buzzed.

_Thump._

"Mum, don't answer the doors!" Rose warned her.

"It's Mickey on the phone, Rose. And she has already left to open them."

"NO!" Rose shouted making the occupants of the Cabinet room jump in surprise. "It could be the Slitheen!"

"Oh my god," Mickey said. "We forgot about him. Jackie?" he called out.

Rose was looking frantically at the phone. The Doctor seeing her state, placed his one hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright." He locked his gaze with hers, trying to soother her, even if he was not sure of how truthful his words were. Rose just nodded simply.

"They found us," Mickey stated.

Rose could feel her legs become numb."We need that signal," the Doctor said. Rose gave him a warning look. "Never mind the signal, mum, just get out!"

"We can't. He is at the front door."

"Then defend yourselves!" Rose said in desperation.

Harriet was talking in frustration at the Doctor. "You are supposed to be the expert, think of something!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor cried.

Rose closed her eyes and clenched her fists. _She can't interfere. She can't. But she was loosing it._

"I'll take him on, Jackie. You just run." A voice came from the speaker.

_That's it._

"If we want to find their weakness we need to find where they are from," Rose stated in monotone voice.

"Right," the Doctor agreed. "So judging by their body shape that narrows it down to about 5,000 planets in travelling distance. Now what else do we know? Information!" he urged them.

"They are green." Rose said.

"Yep, Narrows it down." The Doctor nodded.

"Good sense of smell," Rose said still in monotone.

"Narrows it down."

Rose was losing her patience. The next time he says _narrows it down_ she is gonna show him just how _she_ will narrow him down.

"They can smell adrenaline." Either Harriet or Rose said. She was not sure as her head was thumping.

"Narrows it down."

_Snap._ Rose could hear herself snap inside.

"The pig technology," Harriet said.

"Narrows it down."

"The spaceship in the Thames; you said slipstream engine," Rose breathed.

"Narrows it down."

"It's getting in!" Mickey's voice announced.

"They hunt like it's a ritual."

"Narrows it down."

"Wait a minute. Did you notice?-" Harriet began.

And before anyone could continued, Rose interrupted in a rushed voice "When they fart, it doesn't just smell like a fart, it's more like bad breath," Rose said blankly.

"That's it!" Harried exclaimed.

"Calcium decay. Now that Narrows it down!" The Doctor beamed.

"We're getting there, Mum!" Rose tried to assure her family.

"Too late!" Mickey yelled back.

"Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of living calcium. What else - what else? Hyphenated surnames. Yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallapatorius!" the Doctor announced.

"Acid. Vinegar!" he was shouting in the speaker.

"We got that!" Jackie said in relief.

"You do?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"What, do you think I didn't go shopping?" Jackie mocked.

"Great. If you did, great, mum," Rose breathed in relief. "Now, pour it on the Slitheen once it reaches you." She instructed, making Doctor turn to face her.

"How did you know that?" he asked her.

"What else you gonna do with it?" She grimaced at him.

And soon a farting explosion sound could be heard. Everyone exhaled a sigh of relief. "Here you go then." Rose picked her glass of vine in a toast, grinning.

* * *

"Our race will face extinction. Unless we strike first." The newly appointed Prime Minister's Slitheen voice could be heard on the telly. "I beg the UNIT. Give us the codes to the nuclear weapons." He faked a concerned face. "Because from this moment on...it's my..duty, to inform you. Planet Earth is at _war_." He ended with a strong impact on the word.

Then the Doctor, Harriet and Rose were back to arguing with the Slitheen about the missile. "I give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you." The Doctor's voice cold. At that, the aliens just giggled.

"What, you?" Blon mocked him. "Trapped in a _box_?"

"Yeh," he said simply. "Me." As he pressed the button to separate them from the alien threat.

* * *

"Okay, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you could do." Jackie was speaking on the phone, when everyone learnt from the News that the massive destruction weapons did exist.

"There is a way out." The Doctor's voice faint. Rose looked up at him. "There was always a way out."

"Okay. Then we use it," Rose said simply.

"But I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe." The Doctor walked to the speaker.

"Don't you dare. Whatever it is. Don't you dare," Jackie warned him.

"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies," the Doctor said, his voice wavering.

"_Do it_," Rose said simply.

"You don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?" The Doctor looked at her in bewilderment. _How could she trust him so much?_

"Yeah." Rose smiled at him fondly. _She could remember the first time he had to make this same decision. She had already had full trust in him back then. And it never changed. She wouldn't toss her life pointlessly, but if she was needed by the Doctor, she would always be by his side. _

"Please, Doctor, please, she's my daughter, she's just a kid," Jackie pleaded.

"Do you think I don't know that? 'Cause this is my life, Jackie - it's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will." His voice cracked a bit.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose locked her eyes with his. She hated to make him chose, so she wanted him to know, that it was her choice. "I've made my choice. I'm staying with you no matter what." Her eyes didn't waver.

It scared him. He was scared to lose her. Since the moment the two of them met, she always followed him around recklessly, and made it certain to ensure her presence never leaving his side. Whereas now, it could be all lost in seconds. "_I could save the world, but lose you._" Words escaped his mouth in a voice full of devastation.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor." Harriet came forward. "It's mine."

"And who the hell are you?" Jackie spat in disgust.

"Harriet Jones. MP for Flaydel North. The only elective representer of this room. Chosen by the people. For the people. And on the behalf of the people, I command you. Do it."

When the Doctor looked back at Rose, he found her grinning widely at him and he grinned back.

"How do we get out, Doctor?" Harriet asked.

"We don't. We stay here," Rose said simply.

"You knew?" the Doctor asked her in astonishment.

"I read between the lines." She gave him a small smile.

After picking the correct missile everyone waited in anxiety. "Rickey the idiot. The _World_ is in your hands," the Doctor announced.

"Fire."

"How solid are these?" Harriet was asking about the steel doors.

"Not solid enough. Build for short range attack. Nothing this big." The Doctor told her, not sure about the escape plan himself.

Rose made her way to the cabin. "Alright. Now, it's my time to make a decision. We are not going to die. We'are going to survive," she exclaimed. "This is small. Solid enough." She checked the cabin. "Both of you, inside," she ordered and the trio sat inside.

"Nice meeting both of you," Harriet said. "You too," the Doctor agreed then looked at Rose.

"I'm so glad I've met you." He smiled at her warmly. "

It was the best thing in my life," Rose said with a tender chuckle. And the three of them linked their hands tightly, waiting for the destruction to reach them.

The cabin rocked hardly. Rose wondered if it was that bad the last time. Then it started to roll, throwing its passengers around. Rose could feel how she crashed onto the Doctor at one moment, since he put his protective arms around her.

And with the last thud they stopped.

_Creak._

The Doctor kicked the doors out and the three of them stepped outside. Harriet Jones didn't waste time and soon left to attend her "responsibilities". The Doctor just beamed at her. "I thought I knew the name. Harriet Jones. Future Prime Minister."

"She is a great woman," Rose added in agreement. Doctor looked back at her. "You alright, though?"

"Yeh." She told him fondly. "And we got one more rescue to do." She pointed at him.

"Right," he agreed.

* * *

The TARDIS landed in the same storage room they had been in just a few days ago. Once they opened the door, Rose sighed in relief. "No military officers here." She grinned.

"Everyone has gathered outside the 10 Downing Street. Or now, outside the pile of rocks and dust." He gave her an innocent look.

"I can't believe that we've actually blown Her Majesty's government headquarters up." She shook her head, chuckling. They started going down the hallways. "And I so wanted to go there at least once." Rose spoke in nostalgia.

"Well you did. And now hush," he warned her.

They listened for any signs of the disturbance, but there was none. The halls were empty so they managed to run towards the holding cell unnoticed.

The doors were locked, however, the Doctor quickly opened them with his sonic screwdriver. Once they made their way inside, they saw nothing. It was pitch black.

"Can't you turn the lights on?" Rose asked him. "It's not working," he answered. "Not that kind of light. Use your sonic screwdriver!"

"How do you know it makes a light?"

"Oh, for goodness sake. With hundreds of actions it can perform, you would just leave the lights out." She mocked him.

"Fair point," he agreed as he made the screwdriver glow. It was still quite dark.

"Um." The Doctor frowned at that. Not like anybody saw that, though.

"Maybe you could move the TARDIS here, then? It would emit the light, better than this. I see no-" She began as she kicked something, making her wince in pain "-thing," she choked through her teeth.

"Alright. You stay here." He told her and was about to move, but kicked the same thing Rose had just moments ago and it made him stagger. In the end he fell on something.

"Uff. Really, better get the lights here." His sonic screwdriver could be seen somewhere in the distant. "Something soft here."

"That would be me." Rose told him from _underneath. _

If anyone could have seen the Doctor's face now, it would be a great show to watch, but now only a gulping sound was heard. "Sorry. I didn't break you or anything, right?" He tried to sound nonchalant as he stood up, pulling her up on her feet moments later.

"Nah. It needs better than that." She joked. "Now, go on," she urged him and he soon left the room, grabbing the sonic screwdriver just before.

_Thump. _

_Okay. That surprised her. _She shook her head. No time for this.

Rose looked around the room. And well, saw nothing. So she walked her way forward, putting her hands ahead of her. She came to a stop, when she felt cold metal bars and a warm even breath on her fingers.

"Hello there." She greeted the living thing lovingly.

"Oink." It made a sound.

"We've found _you_!" she exclaimed happily, but lowering her voice at the end. Seconds later the TARDIS materialised into the room, illuminating it and showing the occupant of the cell.

With doors opened the Doctor stepped out. "Right, then." He came forward and with a few buzzes let the Space Pig free. "Hurry up, come on." He told Rose and the pig as they followed him inside the TARDIS.

Inside the console room the Doctor gave Rose the directions of the temporal room their new companion would be staying at and after pressing the necessary buttons, he directed them to the Powell Estate.

* * *

After the emotional reunion with Jackie, Rose found herself sitting in the living room watching Harriet on the telly.

"Harriet Jones. Who _does_ she think she is?" Jackie complained to the telly. "Taking all the credit. My _daughter_ saved the world." She leaned in to it.

"Thank the Doctor." Rose smiled. "He's not that bad, if you give him the chance." Rose grinned at her mother.

"Alright. I give him that," Jackie said unhappily to admit.

"Oh my. The world does change. You actually approve of him." Her grin was wide now.

"Nothing else I can do. Since you are _infatuated _with him." Jackie looked back at the telly.

"I'm not _infatuated _with him, mum. I love him," Rose said with a fondly smile. She felt her mother's gaze and looked around. It took her a moment to catch on just what had she said.

"Ah. Um," she shuttered. "What I _meant _to say was..."

"Oh, save it." Jackie just dismissed her. "What does he eat?"

Rose blinked a bit in a surprise of the next topic being dropped at her so soon. "He won't eat with us. But I could bring the tea to him. Maybe in the best case of scenario, he will actually accept it." She laughed.

After Jackie went inside the kitchen to prepare her tea, Rose's phone rung with "The TARDIS" calling.

"Hello?" Rose answered softly.

"Right. It's going be a couple of hours, before we could go." the Doctor's voice echoed from the other end of the line.

"Do you want shepherd's pie?" she asked simply.

"What? Where would you get that?" he asked slightly confused.

"My mum's cooking."

"Great. Then enjoy yourselves," he said dismissively.

"I was asking about you," Rose persisted.

"I don't do that," the Doctor dismissed her at once.

"I know," she said in a faint voice.

_Pause. _

"I'll have to go meet Mickey, then I'll come back. Don't disappear on me." She chuckled on the phone.

"Okay."

"You sure you don't want the pie?" she asked him teasingly.

"See ya." and the Doctor hang up.

* * *

_The talk_ with Mickey went a bit worse than Rose originally thought. When they broke up the last time, he already understood the situation quite well, from observing. But at this moment, he still held a lot of hope. It hurt her to disappoint him so much. And she wanted to keep in touch with him. Luckily enough, he offered to send her off.

Once they reached the TARDIS, Rose saw some kid kneeling on the ground and scrubbing the graffiti words off the TARDIS side.

What were the words again?

_Right. _

_Of course. _

_Bad Wolf_ stood tall, together with the Earth. Once again.

The Doctor and Mickey were having a conversation about "Alien hoax", which the news has created, being not yet ready to face aliens. Rose felt a stab in her heart. Those same people are going to learn the truth about the aliens the hard way. She feared for that day to come.

Then she looked back at the Doctor and her worries seemed to cease to exist for that moment. She grinned at him as she walked towards and pulled her backpack off her shoulders.

"The first time I stepped in, It was the spur of a moment. Now, I'm singing in." _Or re-signing. _"You are stuck with me." Rose pointed at him smiling with tongue between her teeth. The Doctor seemed to be taken a back by surprise, but not an unwelcome one.

With a few goodbye words they stepped inside the TARDIS, closing from the world outside those doors.

* * *

Once inside, Rose rushed to the room to where their new friend was now staying. She found him moving about, sniffing everything - still a bit lost of his surroundings. When he saw Rose, he moved towards her.

"Hello." Rose greeted the piggy.

She seemed to use that word a lot these days. Too much influence of her Doctor, she guessed, as she chuckled sadly. _She missed him. _The _him _him, who knew everything about her. Who knew her as she first came in contact with him and who burnt the sun just to say goodbye to her. _Her heart tightened. _

It was just not fair. She wanted to tell him everything. And she hated the knowledge she had. Not only the moments of their adventures, but that she knew better now than to disturb their timelines by telling the Doctor the truth. _Which was who knows what truth, still._

_Sigh. _She sighed out loud and the piggy moved his head to the side in a question. It made Rose chuckle. "Oh, you adorable little thing." She patted him.

She was too immersed in playing with their newly made friend that she didn't notice how the Doctor came halfway inside the room. Just watching her from the doorways.

While watching Rose, the Doctor couldn't believe what he was seeing. How compassionate she was. Rose was the first known human to him who cared so much about aliens. And he was even more amazed just how it suited her. How right the picture in front of him looked. The Doctor still had a few questions of his own about Rose, as she seemed to have some kind of secret around her. Besides the times when she looked too much excited and fantastic, he could see a deep sorrow in her eyes. He recognised it, because it was so very close to his own. And what puzzled him even more, was that it looked like even Jackie and Mickey were not aware of any of it.

But he decided to take one step at a time. And let her keep her thoughts to herself. If there was anyone to be complained about being too much shut off, then it would be him. They will get to know each other as time passes by. For now, this was good enough.

* * *

_**to be continued..**_

**A/N: okay then. Any kind of feedback would be great! I'm not exactly sure what I think about this chapter. At first, I was greatly disappointed, since I couldn't really change many of things. I couldn't leave Harriet alone and Rose's actions in the long run doesn't really change all that much then...but I tried my best. Anyway, it is yours to judge, feel free.**

**About Rose's remark - the Doctor not being him him. That just came out with my belief. As I believe memories make the person. Or at least is a very big part of it. **

**And that's about it. Wait for more. =)**


	7. Dalek

**Okay. This was one of the most difficult chapters to write. Wait. Correction. It WAS the most difficult one to write as of now. It is DALEK, after all. Oh well. I played around quite a bit with the plot of it, let's see if I did any good. Go on, read on. And. Reviews would be nice. Thank you, everyone!**

* * *

"What are we going to do with him?" Rose asked the Doctor while swinging around in the armchair.

"Possibly send him to The Pig Wonderland," he answered while running around the controls.

"Can't we just keep him?" she asked slowly.

"What? A Humanoid Pig? I'm not making this place domestic, I told you." He pointed at her.

"He's not part of the domestic," Rose insisted. "He's an alien. Well, at least now he is...you said you wanted to help him," she pleaded.

"And that's what are we going to do. Take him back home. Where all the world is full of pigs."

"That's not _fair_." Rose wanted to say something more, but lost that chance.

"We've landed," the Doctor announced.

"Where? To The Pig Wonderland?"

"No. I've got a signal. We'll have to postpone that trip for later," he said and walked to the doors. "You coming?"

"Yeh!" she shouted out.

Once they stepped out Rose saw just where they have landed. "Utah," Rose said in a faint voice.

"That's right. Utah. North America. About half a mile underground." The Doctor looked around and turned the lights on. "Wait. Have you been here before?" He looked at her puzzled.

_Gulp._

"N-not exactly..." Rose started. "I've seen picture's of this museum before." She looked up at him to see if he had bought it.

"It's 2012." At that moment the Doctor was already immersed in his inspection of the place. Forgetting about Rose's slip up.

Good thing that, as much as the Doctor was a genius, he could be completely dense the other times. The Doctor was pacing around the glass showcases.

"It's the Slitheen's arm!" Rose exclaimed and ran to it. "It's been stuffed."

"Oh, look at _you_." The Doctor's voice could be heard. Rose turned her gaze to what he was looking at.

_Look at you, indeed. _

Rose made her way next to the Doctor.

_What are they?  
Cybermen._

_They are people?  
They were._

She could hear the conversation in her head, she once have had with her Doctor. Rose closed her eyes. She was not ready to face her nightmares yet, but they were chasing after her in full speed. Not allowing her to forget of all the tragedy she had witnessed.

"An old friend of mine," the Doctor said in a distant voice. "Well." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Enemy."

"Is th..." Rose shuttered. "Is that where the signal is coming from?" She knew the answer was negative.

"Nah. It's stone dead," he said softly, never leaving his eyes off the Cyberman's severed head. "This signal is alive. Something is reaching out. Calling for help." He reached out to touch the glass. Rose was already opening her mouth to stop him, but with only a slight contact, the alarm broke out.

In seconds, the whole room was filled with men with guns, threateningly pointing right at them.

"Aliens are collected here. And that makes you an exhibit A." Rose looked at the Doctor who was now looking a bit concerned about the situation.

* * *

They were brought into the Henry van Statten's cabinet room. _And he looked as unpleasant as the last time, sitting in his chair all proud and all. _He was talking with Adam about the alien musical instrument, which they didn't know yet about. _Oh, Adam. Be glad your head still doesn't open up._

"I really wouldn't hold it like that." The Doctor began, not being able to suppress himself.

"Shut it," the ginger woman chided him. The Doctor looked at her for a moment and back to Henry.

"Really, though. That's wrong." The Doctor tried again.

"Is it dangerous?" Adam asked in concern.

"No," the Doctor answered simply. "Just looks silly." He tried to take it from the man in chair, and although, the men pointed guns at him in defence, Statten quickly stopped them and handed the instrument to the Time Lord.

"You just ne-ed to be...delicate," the Doctor said beaming. The music was soft and gentle. Completely out of place, compared to the museum it was in.

"It's a musical instrument," Henry said faking an amazed smile. _Not like it was any use for him._

"Here, let me." He grabbed the instrument from the Doctor's hands and tried to play it himself. In a few seconds it was tossed on the ground, like a piece of trash. It made the Doctor frown.

"I'm the Doctor. And who are you?" He looked at him in a warning.

"Like you don't know." Henry van Statten spoke in a cocky tone. "You just stumbled in by mistake." He joggled his head in a mocking manner.

"Pretty much sums me up," the Doctor just agreed with a laugh.

"Question is..." Henry walked out from his table. "How did you get in? 53 floors down. With your little cat-burglar accomplice. Quite a collector yourself. She's rather pretty." He gestured to Rose, smiling at her in a wrong way.

"She's gonna smack you if you keep calling her 'she'," Rose shot back.

"She is English too!" Henry exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.

When both - the Doctor and Rose made no effort to recognise Henry van Statten, and since Rose had no intention of pleasing his ego, Adam took the job upon himself.

"So you're just about an expert in everything, except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor mocked him.

"And you claim greater knowledge?" Henry challenged him.

"I don't need to make claims. I know how good I am," the Doctor said simply.

"And yet I captured you." Henry sneered at him. "Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me."

"The Cage contains my one living specimen."

"And what's that?" The conversation got to the next speed level.

"Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You wanna see it?"

"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone," Rose exhaled.

"You, English. Look after the girl." he instructed Adam. "And, you, doctor with no name. Come and see my pet." Henry gestured to the doors as they walked out.

* * *

Rose followed Adam to his own "little storage room". He showed her some alien weapons and stuff, to which Rose played innocence in not knowing what it was.

"The thing is. It's all true." Adam began with excitement. "Everything the UNIT tries to keep quiet about - spacecraft, aliens, visitors to Earth. They really exist."

Rose just let him talk. "That's amazing," she said in a sneer, but Adam failed to notice that. "So, how did you end up here?" Rose unwillingly tried to keep the talk going.

"Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit."

"Oh right, you're a genius." Rose raised an eyebrow to him. "A genius with a chip in his head..." Rose said under her breath.

"Sorry, but yeah. I can't help it. I was born clever." _Clearly oblivious to the last sentence._ "When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defence System, nearly caused World War Three."

"Wonderful," Rose said in a mock.

"Well, you shoulda been there. Just to see them running about... Fantastic!"

That made Rose chuckle. "You sound like the Doctor."

"Are you and him.." He moved his hands in a gesture.

"No," Rose said softly. "We are just friends..." She ended with a sad distant smile.

"Oh." Adam bit his lips. "But you clearly want something more," he stated.

"What? No." Rose tried to deny. "Well, I mean ye-h." She was starting to get embarrassed. "But no, I mean..."

"No, I understand. It's alright," he said in a disappointed voice.

"It's complicated," Rose breathed.

"Right. That cursed word. _Complicated," _he spat the last word. It made Rose relax a bit as she laughed. "Well, maybe, I can show you something interesting. So you might change your mind," he said teasingly to her.

"Are you trying to win me over?" Rose laughed at her own words.

"Am I so obvious?" Adam grinned at her. Rose chuckled. "Well, look at this." He pressed the button just to show the Dalek on the screen. Rose's face got pale at once. The man in a an orange suit was steadily making his way toward it, with an intention of torture.

A drilling sound could soon be heard together with the Dalek's scream. Rose's face was blank. It was _a Dalek. _The same species who just refused to go away. And separated her and the Doctor just so many times.

_More screams. _

Rose closed her eyes. She was battling with herself, not knowing what was the right course of action in this situation.

"We better not look at this, after all..." Adam said silently and was inches from the button to shut it off.

"Take me down," Rose said in a hollow voice as she walked past him.

She couldn't help but remember it reaching out for the sun. It was not the Dalek anymore. It was something else. If by absorbing a part of her DNA it got humanity in it, s_he would give him enough to stop it from killing. _

* * *

Adam easily got them in the room with faking a "Special access" from Van Satten. Once Rose locked her eyes on the Dalek, she felt a lump in her throat.

_Was this the right choice?_

"Dont get too close," Adam said from behind. Rose was slowly walking towards it. Inches from it, she greeted it.

"Hello..." she said softly.

_No answer._

"My name is Rose Tyler." She started. "Look...I wan-..." She could feel her voice crack. "I want to help you...but you got to help me too," she said, making her voice more steady.

"You-want-to-help-me?" the Dalek said faintly.

"Yeh." Rose nodded a bit. "I can make you better, but you got to promise me, that you won't hurt anybody else."

"I-am-a-soldier. My-duty-is-to-exterminate."

"No!" Rose shook her head. "You can be better than that." She smiled faintly.

"There-is-no-point-in-me. I-am-all-alone." It lowered its "camera eye".

"You can feel the sun again," Rose said gently. "Don't you want that? To feel again?" she asked carefully.

"I-can-not-feel-anything-but-pain."

"I'll help you," Rose said faintly as she placed her hand on the metal surface of the Dalek. With a single touch it came back to life and it was burning Rose, but she didn't move her hand away.

"Rose! Move away from it!" She could hear Adam's voice. But she stayed in her position.

_It hurt. And a lot. _

It was similar to the time in the engine room with the lever. She closed her eyes from pain, but soon enough felt how a warm energy surrounded her hand. She fluttered her eyes and saw it glow in gold gentle light. It eased her pain. She watched in bewilderment at her and the Dalek, who was still in chains as it didn't move away from her touch.

Soon she felt herself being grabbed from behind, her palm leaving the Dalek. The man took her hand into his and looked in shock how the wound of her burns closed up in his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked her in disbelief. Rose couldn't really answer that.

Seconds later, the Dalek broke free from the chains and now was dangerously full of life. "Stay back." The man informed Rose as he stepped towards it with a gun. Dalek pointed a plumber towards him.

"What're you going to do?" he said in a sneer. "Suck me in?"

"No!" Rose dashed in front of the man as the Dalek began to prepare itself to do just that. "Don't do that," she pleaded. "You are better than this, I know it." She looked it straight in the "camera eye".

It stopped and backed away a bit. "I-will-obey!" it announced.

"You are together with it," the man stated with his mouth half open. Rose looked at him in surprise. "You are partners with a monster."

"Wha-" Rose began, but soon the man was out running from the room, calling his authorities.

"What did you do?" Adam asked as he walked to her. The Dalek quickly started moving towards him, threateningly. "Whoah." Adam put his arms in defence.

"It's alright. He is a friend." Rose told the Dalek. It seemed to calm down.

"Since when are you friends with it?" Adam asked in disbelief.

"It absorbed my DNA. It feels me," Rose explained in a hurry.

In a few seconds men with pointed guns stormed into the room, quickly making their way to Rose and grabbing her. "What are you doing?" She tried to struggle.

"We've received orders to capture the alien," one of them stated in monotone as they were dragging her outside.

"Alien? What? But, I'm human!" Rose cried.

"LET-HER-GO!" the Dalek was moving towards the men.

"Don't!" Rose warned it. "No shooting. Please," she pleaded it. However, when the men tried to silence her and dragged her more forcefully, the Dalek started to shout "EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

In the meantime, Doctor was held prisoner, as Henry van Statten started his "scans" on him.

"Fascinating!" He clapped his hands together. "Two hearts." He beamed at the monitor.

"So, that's your secret," the Doctor spat in disgust. "You don't just collect the stuff. You scavenge them."

"This technology has been falling to Earth for centuries. All it took was the right mind to use it properly." He shook his head nonchalantly.

Moments later a call arrived, informing Henry of the disturbance. He left the room for a few moments, leaving the Doctor alone to get his breath back.

* * *

"Hold her down." Henry van Statten instructed the men as they put Rose behind bars.

"I'm human! You can't just hold the human prisoned!" Rose shouted back at him. "It's not even a prison cell! I'm not gonna be your lab rat, _you crazy bastard_," she finished with deadly voice.

"Oh. I am hardly convinced that you are human, young girl." He sneered at her.

"And what are you going to do, when you find out that I'm human after all. Eh? The ruler of the internet!" Rose shouted at him in a confident voice, even if she was not feeling all that confident herself.

"If that happens..." He looked away nonchalantly. "Then I'll just clean your memory off, and toss you somewhere in the desert." He looked back at her and shrugged. "Like it never happened." He walked off laughing in evil voice.

"You can't do that!" Rose yelled out to him. "Come back here!"

With that, the doors closed shut, only an echo of laughter giving shivers to Rose.

* * *

Soon enough, Henry was back to the Doctor, with huge grin and satisfaction onto his face.

"Oh. You are _so _full of surprises, Doctor," Van Satten said in fascination. "It seems, you brought us another living specimen to experiment with."

"What are you talking about?" The Doctor looked at him in bewilderment.

"Like you don't know," he said blankly. "Your little pretty accomplice was alien too, it seems." His grin back on his face.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" the Doctor said darkly, clearly concerned about _another living specimen to experiment with _sentence. "She's human."

"Superhuman then!" Henry exclaimed. "She brought the Metaltron, or how do you call it, Dalek, back to life!" He laughed out loud. "And it seems it listens to her. Wonderful!"

All kind of crazy ideas were running through the Doctor's mind, as he wondered what could have happened. "Did she touch it?" he asked sharply.

"It seems so. Why?" Van Satten asked cockily. "Rings a bell?

"She gave him her DNA, as it absorbed it, its life was restored," he explained frantically.

"_Mister Van Satten._" A voice came through the speakers. "The Metaltron got loose. As we took the girl out of the room, it started shooting at us. Guns ain't working, sir!"

The Doctor closed his eyes. "Release me, if you want to live," he said dangerously.

* * *

Inside the cell Rose was anxiously pacing about. _She had to think of something._ That Dalek was completely her responsibility now, and if it could only listen to her - she had to be near.

A faint lock sound could be heard in a distance and soon a familiar face came to the view. "Adam...Adam?" Rose called out to him. "What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Saving your life," he said while working his way with the locks on the cell. "I don't know how you did that, but you look pretty much human to me. Don't wanna let you scavenged like those other specimen." He smiled at her nervously.

She couldn't believe her ears. She was so disappointed in him, after he put his ambitions before the greater good in Satellite 5. But here he was, helping her out to live.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"You can thank me later. Now there is no time to lose. That Dalek thing got lose after you were taken away. We gotta run," he said while grabbing her hand. Rose shook it off.

"No., Rose said simply.

"What are you doing? We got no time." He tried to approach her again, but she backed away.

"He's my responsibility. I'll take care of it. You go. And thank you again for letting me out." She smiled at him fondly as she started to move past him.

"I"m going with you."

"Wha-? You can't! It can be dangerous." She tried to reason.

"Then you are in it too." He smiled at her, making her grin at him in disbelief.

* * *

As Rose and Adam ran through the hallway, they had to pass through the groups of dead bodies, left there on the ground.

_Oh, no. We are too late._

"Hurry!" Rose shouted out as she ran further.

They found themselves in a corridor with stairs. "Stairs," Adam stated, he breathed a sigh of relief. "It could not have gone that way. It has no legs! Let's go back the other way." He started to make a move.

"It can levitate itself. Come on." Rose rushed upstairs.

The momentary relief gone from Adam's face.

They made their way into a huge basement like storage room and saw the men ready at arms to shoot the coming Dalek.

"Hold you fire!" the commander yelled out when he spotted two humans out there in the open.

"Am I still a wanted person?" Rose said, panting heavily in whisper to Adam.

"Possibly," he replied in whisper too.

"You two, get the hell out of here!" The commander's voice was heard again.

"Am I allowed to go?" Rose asked.

"We got the special instructions from Henry van Statten to let you go. But if you disturb our operation, we won't be held responsible if we shoot you in the process."

"Oh. Alright then," Rose said in a half joke. "But if I could just talk to it-" She began again.

"Thank you, miss Rose Tyler. But I think I can handle one robot on my own." the commander dismissed her. "Now move away!"

_This would not work out well. _They both ran further inside, past the men.

As the Dalek came into view, it soon spotted Rose and zoomed in his view on the "camera eye". Adam grabbed her hand and was pulling her to run.

"I got to stop it," Rose said with a firm voice, as she broke free from his grasp.

"You are mad! It will kill you." Adam eyed her suspiciously.

"It won't. It knows me," Rose said unwavering and soon she was out of his sight, running towards the Dalek.

Once she reached it, the commander started shouting at her again. "What are you doing? I told you we will shoot!"

"I told you, I can help!" she said moving backwards towards the Dalek with hands pulled in defence. "There is no need for more death." Her eyes trailed off from one man to another. She was trying to let them understand.

"Move away or we are going to start shooting," the commander warned her as the men loaded their guns.

_Gulp._

"YOU-WILL-NOT-HURT-HER!" the Dalek stated shaking. Rose looked back at him.

* * *

Back in the van Satten's room, the Doctor was discussing the plan of how to get rid of the Dalek, when the ginger woman announced.

"We got vision." And with those words the screen lit up, showing a very dangerous scene.

"It wants us to see," the Doctor stated, slowly moving to the screen. "Rose!" he called out for her, looking frantically at her so close to the Dalek.

"Hello." She just smiled at the camera. "I'm alright, Doctor. But those men kinda want to start shooting." She half joked.

"Rose!" the Doctor repeated in a concerned voice.

"Open fire!" the commander announced.

"NO!" Doctor yelled at the screen. And as soon as the shooting started Rose found herself surrounded by some kind of forcefield, the bullets not reaching her. The Doctor breathed in relief, when he saw Rose momentary safe.

The Dalek levitated above everyone's heads and shot a blast to the fire alarm, making water pour out of the celling. Rose understood what was coming next, so she shouted out to him.

"No! Don't do that. Everyone, step back!" she yelled out to them, but was left unheard.

"THEY-TRIED-TO-HARM-YOU!" the Dalek replied as he was aiming for the ground.

"But look, I'm alright! Thanks to you!" She made a nervous laugh. "Now, stop it, please," she pleaded.

"I-MUST-PROTECT-YOU!" And with that he beamed his blaze towards the ground, making everyone in the water electrocuted.

Rose closed her eyes. _It was all her fault. She made this happen._

The Dalek made its way to the camera.

"I-WILL-SPEAK-TO-THE-DOCTOR!"

"Alright then. Speak," the Doctor answered in the screen.

"I-FED-OFF-THE-DNA-OF-ROSE-TYLER. EXTRAPOLATING-THE-BIOMASS-OFF-A-TIME-TRAVELLER-REG ENERATED-ME.

"What's your next trick?"

"I-HAVE-BEEN-SEARCHING-FOR-THE-DALEKS."

"Yeah, I saw. Downloading the Internet. What did you find?" the Doctor said sneering.

"I-SCANNED-YOUR-SATELLITES-AND-RADIO-TELESCOPES."

"And?"

"NOTHING. WHERE-SHALL-I-GET-MY-ORDERS-NOW?"

"You are not going to get any. It's all gone."

"THEN-I-SHALL-FOLLOW-MY-FORMED-ORDER. TO-DESTROY!"

"No!" Rose cried out still in the forcefield. "You can't!"

"BUT-IT-IS-MY-DUTY!" The Dalek tried to reason.

"I'll give you orders," Rose said simply.

"I-WILL-RECEIVE-ORDERS?"

"Yes," Rose simply said. "Now, let me out, and follow me," she said softly and soon was released to the ground.

"Rose! What are you doing? He's going to kill you!" The Doctor looked frantically at her.

"No, he won't." Rose shook her head. "I'll be alright," she said with a sad smile and went further away from the view, the Dalek following behind.

"ROSE!" the Doctor called out.

* * *

They walked there for a while. The unlikely duo. Rose and the Dalek with expectations from her. She wondered just where exactly her situation was in right now. They were walking now. But where to? She just legged it, before she could even think what was her plan. Once they reached the staircase, Rose's phone rang. She picked it up reluctantly, having a vague idea what was coming.

"Where are you?" The Doctor's voice asked from the phone.

"Level 49," Rose answered.

"You got to keep moving, the vault is being sealed off up to level 46." He instructed her in all seriousness. "Try to move away from it," he said in a calm voice, but his insides were clearly not feeling so. He felt everything but calm right now.

"I'm going to be alright." Rose tried to soothe him.

"Rose for God's sake, just keep moving!" the Doctor said in a frantic voice. _He was loosing his composure._

The duo then continued going up the stairs. Taking up the speed, but not running. Mind you, the Dalek could only levitate and it was not that fast. And there was just no way that Rose would leave him be on its own. Soon enough, they exited through the doors into some kind of corridor. As they went out the corner, they met up with the running Adam.

_The alarm of the bulkhead being closed down could be heard somewhere ahead of them._

"Oh, great. You are still with it," Adam complained, when he saw Rose with her companion. "I don't wanna be in the middle of the shooting, sorry." With those words he ran towards the closing bulkhead, leaving other two do as they saw fit.

_Of course, Adam._

Rose looked back at the Dalek, who was moving steadily next to her. She heard the steps of soldiers somewhere in the distance.

"Brilliant. If you won't kill me, then they will," Rose said half jokingly to the Dalek. _Time was running short. _And she pretty much get the picture of how the events were playing out this time round.

Rose didn't bother to run. She knew, she wouldn't make it. And she had to take responsibility for all those men, who would be left alone with the Dalek, if she were to leave.

And then it closed. "Rose, where are you!?" the Doctor spoke in a worried voice. "Rose! Did you make it?"

"Sorry," Rose only said.

"I-AM-RUNNING-OUT-OF-POWER!" the Dalek announced, shaking.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, feeling a bit shaken by its sudden exclamation.

"I-WILL-NOT-BE-ABLE-TO-FORM-A-FORCESHIELD!" And with that he opened his casing up, revealing the living creature in it. It blast a hole in the celling as the sun reached out, warming up the lonely Dalek with its light.

"I-AM-GLAD-TO-BE-ABLE-TO-FEEL-THE-SUN-FOR-THE-LAST -MOMENT."

Rose could hear the Doctor gulp in the phone.

"It wasn't your fault, Doctor. Remember that, okay?" Rose said, her voice cracking.

"_Can't you stop your own men_?!" The Doctor's voice could be heard shouting at Henry.

"They refused to listen, saying its their duty to protect the nation from the monster, there is no way we can make it back there in time. I'm sorry." Even Henry van Satten sounded a bit guilty, although, that could still be a debate.

"It's alright," Rose spoke softly. "I've chosen this... And you know what? I wouldn't have missed it for the world." She laughed through tears.

"WHAT-IS-THE-USE-OF-FEELINGS-IF-YOU-CAN-NOT-EVEN-P ROTECT-THE-WOMAN-YOU-LOVE-DOCTOR?!"

"I..I just-" the Doctor shuttered.

And then a huge group of soldiers appeared before their very eyes. They made their formation and got ready, pointing their guns threateningly at the duo. When the men were ready to fire, the Dalek came forward.

"ORDER-MY-DESTRUCTION!" He told Rose.

"Wha-?" Rose blinked at him for a moment. "I can't! Why are you doing this?"

"YOU-MADE-ME-LIKE-THIS! I-AM-NOT-A-DALEK-ANYMORE. THERE-IS-NO-POINT-IN-MY-EXISTENCE. BUT-I-MUST-PROTECT-YOU."

"B-but.." She shook her head.

"ORDER-ME-TO-DIE!"

Rose made a faint sob sound. "Do it," she said faintly.

"I-WILL-OBEY!" And then he levitated in the air, gently crossing the atmosphere. He closed his casing down, and the metal orbs came loose from its surface, making a forcefield around the Dalek. Sparks of electricity flashed and in seconds the Dalek vanished.

_It was like it was never there..._

The men stood there in bewilderment as they lowered their guns down.

* * *

Henry van Satten was dragged by the men to have his memories erased and later to be dropped somewhere in the desert for his lack of responsibility and causing so many casualties.

When Rose made her way to the TARDIS, the Doctor was already waiting there for her. He made his way to her to hug her tightly. "I thought you were going to die."

"Can't get rid of me." Rose chuckled.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor continued tenderly. "My people have _died_ because of its race. I wanted it gone...And now I'm really the last one of the Time War."

"Hey, it's alright. I get it." Rose squeezed his hand a bit. "And you are not alone. I'm not going anywhere." He just smiled at her.

"But its actions...they seemed so..._human_." She looked him in the eyes.

"Yeh. Well. It absorbed a great deal of your DNA. And it ceased to exist as a Dalek from that moment on. It would still feel the need to obey his orders of destruction, but your word meant more to him."

"Are you saying that the Dalek fancied me?" Rose said in disbelief.

"Not exactly...since they do not have such emotions, really. But it felt a need to protect you. Lucky for me." He beamed at her and she grinned.

Adam soon was present in the room. "We better get out. Van Satten has disappeared, they are closing down the base."

"About time." Rose grinned.

"Well then, you better get going home," the Doctor said nonchalantly. _He really felt the need to get rid of a certain English kid._

"Yeh, and we got to hurry up and leave!" Adam was moving backwards.

Rose stopped him in his tracks. "Thank you, for helping me escape the cell." She told him with all honesty. "But we're going to be alright, you go." She pushed him slightly.

"What are you talking about?" Adam looked at her bemused.

"Go on, boy," the Doctor urged him.

"You are both mad." He shook his head and ran though the doors.

The Doctor just beamed, watching his back. "He was kinda pretty," the Doctor stated, now feeling more relaxed.

"Really? Didn't notice." Rose laughed.

"I thought you were gonna ask me to take him." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Nah. He may be a genius in some things, but the stars are better off with only one." She looked fondly at him. "He looked like the type to make some disasters around him," she added.

"Oh. Like you?" He mocked her.

"Shut up." She laughed and slapped on his arm lightly, making the Doctor _ow__, _as they walked inside the TARDIS.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**A/N: I couldn't just make this chapter not happen. So, I made it like this. And I didn't take Adam with me, because I can imagine it being just fine without him. **

**And I hope the Dalek didn't put you off. I made it absorb more human DNA on purpose, so that his actions would be more human like. **


	8. The Long Game

**Thank you great people for your awesome feedback! It made me happy. Our little adventure without Adam. **

* * *

"You sure you don't regret not taking that pretty boy with you?" the Doctor asked Rose in a mock as they both walked out of the TARDIS.

"Yeh." Rose nodded while smiling fondly at him.

"Looks like it's just you and me then." The Doctor smiled at her.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Good."

"Yep." And they locked each other gazes for a moment.

"Right." The Doctor turned away a bit. "So, it's two-hundred thousand, it's a spaceship - no, wait a minute - space station, and, er... let's go and try that gate over there. Off we go." The Doctor began to walk towards the gate.

"What, you not gonna say more?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "And it's a bit warm in here. They could have turned the heating off."

"What else you wanna know?" he asked innocently. "You are not an amateur anymore, are you? The thing about time travel, is like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book. You've got to throw yourself in, eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers - or is that just me?" He looked at her questioningly. "Come on, let's not waste time, tot!" the Doctor said playfully while going ahead of her.

"Right." Rose laughed. "Wait a minute. Did you just say _tot_?" Rose called out for him, following in his tracks.

Once they went through the gate and gone upstairs, a big glass window appeared before their eyes with the Earth as the main view.

"This is..." Rose gave him a meaningful look.

"The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Planet Earth is at its height, covered with megacities, five moons, population 96 billion, the centre of a galactic domain that stretches across a million planets and species," the Doctor exclaimed proudly.

"Impressive." Rose smiled at him.

"I am impressive. I know." The Doctor shrugged in a way like apologizing, but surely was not sorry at all.

"I was talking about the Earth." Rose chuckled.

"Oh. But I'm too."

"Just go!" Rose couldn't help but laugh out loud now. She pushed him towards the exit to where the food counters where. Obviously, the Doctor was still unaware of the situation there, so started to blab about good manners and stuff.

"Let me tell you. You're gonna like this fantastic period of history. The human race at its most intelligent. Culture, art, politics. This era's got fine food, good manners-" He was cut short by a loud signal of the food courts' opening hours.

Everyone was rushing about, buying fast food, shouting through each other. It was one big _mess. _Like in the market.

"Out the way!"

"Somebody there?"

"Keep it moving."

"One at a time! Now what was it?"

"Kronkburger with cheese, kronkburger with pajatos."

"Oi! You, mate! stop pushing," the vendor chided one of his customers.

"Fine cuisine." Rose nodded sarcastically at the Doctor.

"My watch must be wrong." He checked it in concern. "No, it's fine. It's weird." He looked around.

"That's what you get for showing off." Rose pointed at him in a smirk. "Your history's not that good."

"My history is perfect," he shot back.

"_Well, o_bviously not," she sang in a voice through her teeth. The Doctor frowned.

"And they are all human, Doctor," she said in a calm voice now.

"Of course they are human," the Doctor said in bewilderment.

"Million species. What happened to that?" She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ah." The Doctor came to a realisation. "Good question. Actually, that_ is_ a good question," he agreed and looked at Rose, who was smiling at him happily. "You have something in mind?"

"Well..." Rose began slowly, not looking at the Doctor. "Since we're already here. And the fine cuisine turned out to be..." Rose gestured to the food courts. "Kronkburgers, chips..." Rose looked up at him.

"You wanna sit around and eat chips here?" the Doctor asked her in a frowned surprise.

"Why not?" Rose asked innocently. "Come on." Rose dragged the Doctor to the court.

"We gonna need money. You stay in the queue, I'll be right back," he said and walked towards the ATM.

Quickly enough, after the Doctor got his money from the cash machine, he walked back to Rose, who was already getting their order and he just had to pay. Once they have decided on the table to sit on, they sat down and started eating between the small conversations.

"You know, smiling expression suits you a lot more than frowning," Rose said lightly.

"I don't frown." He tried to deny while at the same time _frowning._

"That!" Rose pointed at his face, laughing and nearly choked up on her food.

"It's how my face looks like. Nothing can be done." He looked away from her, clearly offended.

"Just smile!" Rose teased him.

"What, like this?" He gave a huge fake smile, which looked quite crazy as his eyes popped out a bit.

Rose began to hysterically laugh.

Doctor continued to frown.

After Rose calmed down, she asked. "So, what's our plan now?"

"I don't know. Must go around, blend in. Maybe something interesting will pop up." He grinned at her. Rose spotted Suki and Cathica, moments later, and pointed at them.

"We could try asking them?" Rose said nonchalantly.

"Good thinking." The Doctor nodded proudly at her. "Am gonna go fetch them." As he stood up and walked towards the girls.

"Erm, this is gonna sound daft, but can you tell me where I am?" the Doctor asked as he approached the girls.

"Floor 139." Cathica pointed at the written numbers. "Could they write it any bigger?"

"Floor 139 of what?"

"Must've been a hell of a party," Cathica said in a mock, eyeing him.

"You're on Satellite Five," Suki answered simply.

"And what's Satellite Five?" the Doctor insisted.

"Come on. How could you get on board without knowing where you are?" Cathica looked him up sceptically.

"Look at me. I'm stupid!" The Doctor shrugged and then smiled widely.

"Hold on, wait a minute." Suki looked around nervously. "Are you a test? Some sort of management test kind of thing?"

"You've got me." The Doctor nodded. "Well done! You're too clever for me." Showing them his psychic paper.

"We were warned about this in basic training," Suki said in an understanding voice to Cathica.

"Right, fire away, ask your questions." Cathica seemed to be not that affected.

"Oh, I'll. But me and my colleague..." He pointed at where Rose was sitting. After seeing them, Rose waved at them with a grin. "Were just having a bit of a break of our own. Would you care to join us?" he asked lightly.

"I suppo-se...that's alright," Cathica said warily, as they began walking towards the table with Rose.

"Hello." Rose greeted them warmly.

"Hi. My Name is Cathica and this is Suki. We hear you are together with the management."

"Yep." Rose nodded. "Now, sit, go on."

The girls glanced at each other for a second, but soon decided to join them.

They talked about their motives to join the company and some other stuff, when the topic about the floor 500 came up.

"If it gets me to floor 500, I'll do anything," Cathica stated in confidence.

"Why? What happens to floor 500?" the Doctor asked her with full attention, while Rose picked a chip from his plate.

"The walls are made of gold," Cathica said in an obvious voice.

"Want one?" Rose offered the chip to the Doctor, lightly waving it into his face.

"No. You take it," he refused it lightly and the next moment directed his attention back to Cathica.

"This is what we do," Cathica continued, glancing at both of them. "Latest news. Sandstorms on the New Venus Archipelago, 200 dead. Over on the Bad Wolf channel, The Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant."

"De Faze o Boe ish pregnad?" Rose asked with full mouth taken by surprise and chokes up on her food. She started coughing and the Doctor just rubbed her back.

"That's why I tell you, don't speak with your mouth full," he chided lightly.

"Are you two-" Suki gestured to the both of them.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"You are married, aren't you?" Suki stated.

"Wha-?" Rose began to say, but now clearly was losing air.

"I told you, tot," he said and the next moment hit her back with a force that Rose's eyes just popped out and she let out a very very faint sound. "..._am okay_..."

"Right then." The Doctor looked back at their guests. "I get it. You broadcast the news."

"We ARE the news," Cathica stated. "We're the journalists. We write it, package it and sell it. 600 channels - all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere."

And then an alarm broke off, informing the end of the lunch break.

"I guess it's time we show you how we work." With that, the group made their way to one of the "white rooms", where the information was being channelled. What they didn't know at a time was, that the Editor was already starting to keep an eye on them.

* * *

"Now, everybody behave, we have a management inspection." Cathica started, standing in the middle of the room next to the black chair. "How d'you want it, by the book?"

"Right from scratch, thanks," the Doctor answered and looked to Rose, grinning.

"OK. So! Ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided or robot, my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni. That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor 500, and, please, do. Now, please feel free to ask any questions." She walked to lay down on the chair.

"Here we go. And. Engage safety." Everyone in the circle placed their hands above the engraved palms.

"And three. Two. And spike!" And soon a light blue blast came through a hole in her forehead to the object above their heads.

Rose looked at the sight in blank expression as she was thinking. Cathica was a clever woman, and they surely will need her this time round too, as she doubted the Doctor will manage to not get in trouble and suppress the urge to not check the floor 500. Although, the upcoming promotion was one thing which had to be taken care of by Rose's hands.

"Compressed information." The Doctor began. "Streaming into her! Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain IS the computer!"

"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius," Rose repeated her previous words automatically.

"Nah, she wouldn't remember any of it." He began walking towards the circle and Rose close behind. "There's too much. Her head'd blow up! The brain's the processor. Soon as it closes, she forgets."

"And the people round the edge?"

"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her. And they transmit. 600 channels, every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place. And that's what I call power."

The next moment Suki was shocked by the power coming through the engraved palms. She jumped in surprise.

"Come off it, Suki, I wasn't even halfway! What was that for?" Cathica shot at Suki.

"Sorry. It must've been a glitch." The woman looked a bit lost herself.

Rose looked at the Doctor meaningfully. He just shrugged.

"_PROMOTION!_" A woman's voice could be heard in the room and soon a blue screen was present on the wall.

Cathica was praying it to be her, but soon enough the computer revealed the promotion for - "_Suki Macrae Fantrell. Please proceed to floor 500._"

"I don't believe it!" Suki stood up, clearly mesmerized by the sight.

"How did you manage that?" Cathica asked blaming.

_This was it._

Rose walked up to Suki and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm _terribly_ sorry, but there must have been some kind of mistake here," Rose said in a business like voice.

"A mistake?" the woman asked her in disbelief. "I know I cut the contact too soon, but there must have been a glitch, as I said. Certainly it's not a mistake about my promotion, right?"

"I'm sorry, but it is exactly that." Rose tried to comfort the girl. The Doctor came from behind her. He leaned to whisper into her ear.

"What are you doing?"

"She made a mistake and was promoted. It's not logical," Rose whispered back. The Doctor thought for a moment about what Rose just said.

"True. All this technology is wrong. There is something going on here." The Doctor frowned a bit at a thought. Then the screen blinked once and the promotion for Suki was erased.

"What? Where did it go?" Suki walked towards the screen to touch it. Rose just smiled in understanding.

Seconds later a new message appeared on the screen. "_Management is requested to be present at floor 500_." Rose looked up at the Doctor.

"Trouble?" Rose teased him.

"Oh, yeh." He beamed at her. "Come on, you lot!" He urged everyone to follow him through the doors towards the lift.

* * *

Suki was still in a foul mood as they reached the elevator. "I can't believe it was all just a joke."

"No, it was not. You were great down there." Rose tried to comfort her. "But there's something going on here, and we got to find out what."

"You are not management, are you?" Cathica stated.

"At last! She is clever," the Doctor exclaimed while buzzing his sonic at the electronic controls near the elevator.

"I knew it. Look, whatever it is. I don't wanna have any part in this." Cathica put her hands in defence. "I don't know anything."

"Don't you even ask?" the Doctor shot her a question.

"Why would I?"

"You're a _journalist_!" he exclaimed. "Why's all the crew human?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Cathica replied.

"There's no aliens on board. Why?" Rose asked in the Doctor's place.

"I dunno, no real reason. They're not banned." Cathica shrugged.

"Then where are they?" the Doctor insisted.

"Immigration's tightened up," Cathica said. "It's had to, with all the threats." She started wondering whether that was really the truth.

"What threats?" the Doctor narrowed his brows at her.

"I dunno, all of them. Usual stuff." Cathica seemed to start to doubt her knowledge.

"There is certainly something going on out here, and you didn't even notice." He sneered at her.

"Doctor, I think if there was any sort of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything."

"I can see better." The Doctor gave her a meaningful look, as he opened the case with the cables.

"This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work." She began to walk off.

"Go on then, see ya!" the Doctor said nonchalantly.

"I can't just leave you, can I?" She went back to them.

"If you want to be useful, get them to turn the heating down, it's boiling." Rose told her while holding some cables. "Can't they do something about it?" _Roast the monster._

"We keep asking. Something to do with the turbines." Cathica paced about.

"_Something to do with the turbines,_" the Doctor and Rose sang in synchrony and that made them look at each other for a moment.

"Well, I don't know!" Cathica cried out.

"Exactly. I give up on you, Cathica." The Doctor faced her now. "Now, Rose, look at Rose. Rose is asking the right kind of questions." He looked at her approvingly.

"Oh, I thank you," Rose said lovingly.

"One minute you worry about the Empire, the next it's the central heating!" Cathica clearly missing the point.

"Oh, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing is very important." The next moment he showed the monitor to his _team_. "Here you go. Satellite 5. Pipes and plumbing."

"And there is something wrong." Suki walked up to the monitor, previously only silently observing.

"The ventilation system. Cooling ducts. Ice filters. All working flat out. Channelling massive amounts of heat down," Cathica stated.

"All the way from the top," the Doctor said.

"Floor 500," Rose added. "Don't know about you, but I feel I'm missing out on a party. It's all going on upstairs. Fancy a trip?" Rose said teasingly to the Doctor.

"We can't. Only you both were called out." Cathica still tried to argue.

"And we are running late," the Doctor sang. "It's just codes." And he began to buzz with his sonic screwdriver.

"I'm coming with you," Suki announced.

"You are not a regular journalist yourself either, are you?" the Doctor asked her in wonder. She just smiled at him with a more mature smile than her usual.

"If you get in trouble, don't involved me!" Cathica turned abruptly and walked away.

And the three of them got into the lift, all the way up to floor 500.

* * *

"The walls are not made of gold," the Doctor said sarcastically once they stepped out the elevator. "You should go back downstairs," he said to Rose, but could be meant to Suki too.

"Tough." Rose just dismissed him. _Oh, this unpleasant place. _She hoped that Catchica would get up here in time, if Suki wouldn't be able to override the system herself.

"I started without you," the Editor stated, when he saw the three of them present in the room. He faced them up, turning from the monitors in front. Rose tried to keep her head down, to not see what was staying above their heads.

"This is fascinating!" He shook his head in amusement."Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. But you two...You don't exist." He laughed gesturing to Rose and the Doctor. "There's not a trace. No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?" Then he faced Suki. "Although...I got to thank you for brining the liar to me." He beamed at Suki.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other in surprise. "Oh. She did not tell, did she?" The Editor nodded in fake understanding. "Let's look at the facts then, shall we?" And with a snap of his fingers, a screen in the middle of the room appeared, showing Suki's real identity to be Eva Saint Julienne, last surviving member of the Freedom Fifteen.

"Mmm, self-declared anarchist, is that right?" The Editor mocked her.

"Who controls Satellite Five?" With those words Suki took the gun from...who knows where and pointed dangerously at the Editor. He seemed to look stunned for a second, but soon burst out laughing.

"There's the truth!" he exclaimed still laughing.

"The Freedom Foundation has been monitoring Satellite Five's transmissions. We have absolute proof that the facts are being manipulated. YOU are lying to the people!" Suki stated in a cold voice.

"Oooh, I love it! Say it again!" The Editor challenged her, mocking.

"This whole system is corrupt." Suki made a step closer to him.

"Be careful!" Rose shouted back and that made Suki face the pair, who now were holding their hands up in the air too.

"Why are you holding your hands up like that?" Suki asked them in bewilderment.

"Ah. Well. Not very comfortable with guns." The Doctor made a pointed glance at the "thing" in Suki's hand.

Suki seemed to understand the meaning. "Right." But soon was back facing the Editor.

"Who do you represent?" Her voice soft, but firm.

"I'm merely a humble slave. I answer to the Editor In Chief," he said nonchalantly.

"Who is he, where is he?"

"He's overseeing everything. Literally everything. And I'm sorry. It may interest you to know that this is NOT the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire." He started to whisper to them. "In fact, it's not actually human at all. It's merely a place where humans happen to live."

_A growling sound echoed inside the room._

"Yep. Yep." He started a conversation of his own. "Sorry! It's a place where humans are _allowed_ to live, by kind permission of my client." And he snapped his fingers pointing upwards.

Rose grimaced at it. The sight was as unpleasant as the last time. And it was too big of a creature for Rose to mess up with. She had to put her faith in Catchica and it was killing her to not being able to do anything more reasonable.

"What is that?" Suki asked pointing a gun at it.

"You mean that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment.

"That "thing", as you put it, is in charge of the human race. For almost 100 years, mankind has been shaped and guided." The Editor explained. "Edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe." He paused and chuckled at his last words. "I call him Max!" Rose and the Doctor just smiled nervously at that.

Then his face become stern once again. "Now then, I have provided you some interesting information, but it's only fair we get some information back. Because, apparently, you're no-one."He laughed. "It's so rare, not to know something." He shook his head in disbelief and amusement. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter, cos we're off." The Doctor just dismissed him nonchalantly. "Nice to meet you." he nodded to him. "Come on." He tried for the exit, but soon was stopped by a couple of deadly hands. And Rose at the same time too.

"Tell me who you are!" the Editor cried.

"Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly gonna say, am I?" The Doctor shrugged.

"Release them!" Suki threatened the Editor, pointing a gun at him.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" He laughed in her face. "I just know the perfect way to subdue your guts," he said softly and before Rose or the Doctor could see or do anything, the men holding them both hit them on the back of their necks, making them unconscious. The last thing they could hear was Suki's horrified screams.

* * *

The second Rose woke up, she quickly glanced over to the "working" people on the computers and saw Suki as one of them.

_Stab._

"They killed her..." she said softly.

"I'm sorry." Was all the Doctor could say.

"Now now, she can finally be of some use to her master. Not so bad of a fate it is then, is it?" The Editor played innocent.

"All those people are just slaves to you," Rose spat her words. She was angry. So angry - at herself the most. She saved Suki just to kill her again. If only she could have made her stay downstairs. She closed her eyes in self loathing. She understood how the Doctor felt all those times, when he took responsibility of all the people all those other times.

_It hurt._

"Well, now, there's an interesting point." The Editor disturbed her thoughts. "Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered.

"Oh, I was hoping for a philosophical debate." Disappointment could be heard in his voice."Is that all I'm gonna get? "Yes"?"

"Yes." The Doctor didn't pay much attention to him.

"You're no fun." He laughed darkly at the Doctor.

"Let me out of these manacles." The Doctor pulled his hands up a bit. "You'll find out how much fun I am."

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he?!" The Editor chuckled.

"You can't hide something on this scale, somebody must've noticed," the Doctor stated.

"From time to time, someone, yes." the Editor started pacing about the room. "But the computer-chip system allows me to see inside their brains. I can see the smallest doubt. And crush it!" he exclaimed with a victorious grin, which made Rose shot him a deadly look. "And then they just carry on, living the life, strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth, like they're SO individual."

From the corner of his eyes, the Doctor saw Catchica appear on the other end of the room.

The Editor bragged some more about his long term money investment.

"Also the Jagrafess needed a little hand, to, erm, install himself."

"No wonder, creature that size." The Doctor looked up to it once again. "What's its lifespan?"

"3000 years."

"That's one hell of a metabolism. Generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs, Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive. Satellite Five is one great big life-support system," the Doctor ended sarcastically while looking at Cathica from time to time.

"But THAT'S why you're so dangerous." The Editor pointed at the Doctor. "Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown." He snapped his fingers and the electrical surge ran through the both of them.

"Who are you?" the Editor continued.

"Leave her alone!" the Doctor pleaded in desperation, when he saw Rose's pain. "I'm the Doctor. She's Rose Tyler, we're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!" the Editor insisted, whining like a kid.

"I've just said!" the Doctor shot back.

"Alright then. I guess I have to use our _outdated_ method here. Don't tell anyone about it, okay?" He chuckled, like feeling a bit embarrassed. "It could contaminate our reputation." He snapped his fingers and a video recording of the TARDIS materialising came into view.

The Doctor looked at the screen in bewilderment. "Oh, I though you were clever, Doctor. Although, we see everything with the chips, you better think twice if you want to hide something in the base of the world's news," he said sneering. "We got cameras, of course!" he exclaimed. "But nobody knows it. It would be embarrassing." He laughed nervously. "And it takes _time..." _he continued. "I hate wasting time."

"Hm...interesting. A machine. What is it called?" He turned his head to the Doctor.

"It's just a blue box." The Doctor tried to dismiss the subject.

"WRONG ANSWER! Now, punishment time." The Editor laughed and with a snaps of his fingers Rose got another electro wave, not reaching the Doctor.

"Rose!" Doctor looked frantically at her. "Leave her alone!" he shouted back at the Editor.

"Then answer my questions!" he cried. "It's always the girls, right? Poor little creatures, so easy to manipulate their mates through them." He shook his head.

"TARDIS!" the Doctor yelled out darkly.

"Good. Very good." The Editor clapped his hands, letting the electrocution stop for Rose, then looked back on the screen. "Time travel." As the words of Doctor himself from the video, echoed in the room.

"Are you human?" he asked in a _sweet_ voice.

"Yes," the Doctor said simply.

"Mm." The Editor pressed his lips together. "I think you are not." He shrugged and snapped his fingers again to start Rose's torture.

"Stop it!" The Doctor looked in horror. "I'm a Time Lord!"

With another snap, the electric waves stopped. "Let's not play such games again, shall we?" the Editor warned him, as he walked towards Rose to caress her cheek. She turned her head away.

Rose was panting heavily. Clearly this time round she was getting way more electricity run through her than the last time. At the same time Cathica was already preparing for override.

"Someone has disengaged safety." The Editor went to look at the monitors as an alarming sound gone off.

"Who's that?" he asked in disbelief as Cathica's image appeared before him.

"It's Cathica," Rose exhaled in relief.

"And she's thinking!" The Doctor beamed at the sight. "She's using what she knows!"

"Terminate her access!" The Editor was getting nervous.

"Everything I told her about Satellite Five, the pipes, the filters, she's reversing it! Look at that. It's getting hot." He looked back at Rose and they both smiled at each other.

"I said, terminate! Burn out her mind!" The Editor still tried to escape his fate.

Everything was soon sparking and making alarm sounds scream throughout the room. The whole building was shaking.

The Doctor's manacles came loose first and as he got out, he pulled his sonic screwdriver out to get Rose free. She staggered a bit. She was still quite dizzy from the shocks and the Doctor had to help her to keep steady.

"I'm alright," she said faintly. "You get Cathica out." The Doctor tried to protest, but Rose interrupted. "Go!" With a more commanding voice. And at that the Doctor ran towards Cathica to get her head closed, with him snapping his fingers.

"Okay. I can do this," Rose muttered to herself, trying to keep steady on the ground, waiting for the Doctor to come from the room next door. "I have had worse in Pete's World." She laughed at her words. "Pete's World. It sounds nice." She smiled at her last words and fainted.

* * *

When she woke up, she found herself laying in her bed. In the TARDIS. She stretched and made a move out of the bed. It seemed she was not feeling as weak anymore. She went towards the console room and found the Doctor there, fiddling with some controls, just to make himself look busy. When he saw her, he smiled gently at her.

"Feeling alright?" He eyed her a bit.

"Yep," Rose said with a _p. _"We are already in the TARDIS," Rose stated, looking around.

"As you can see," the Doctor answered absentmindedly.

"I keep missing the good stuff." Rose joked with a disappointed voice.

"If you wouldn't get in so much trouble, maybe you wouldn't," he sang.

"Oh shut it. You were in the same mess, mister." She pointed a finger at him, making her way to him.

"You are not the one who had to drag me all the way to the TARDIS.," he said half-blaming.

"Oh." Rose realised his words. "Thank you." She bit her lips nervously.

"You are welcome!" he exclaimed, not meeting her eyes, resuming his _work_ on the console.

_Pause._

"So, what happened to Cathica?" Rose asked softly.

"Stayed behind to inform the world about the whole situation she has witnessed." The Doctor turned to face Rose, who was standing not far from him, leaning on the console.

"She was a great woman," Rose stated with a smile.

"Yeh, she was...Alright then. To our next adventure!" He grinned at her. "Ready?"

"Always," she said, giving him her most beautiful grin.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Would be great to hear what you thought of this one... :P**


	9. Father's Day

**Okay. This is not exactly a chapter...Well, read on, and you will get what I mean.**

* * *

_Peter Alan Tyler, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th September 1954. And died on the 7th of November 1987. And today, I'm going to see him die for the third time._

"So I was thinking...could we?" Even doing it for the second time, she still found it hard to ask. _What if his mind changed from their original timeline?_ He did not exactly trust her all that much. Why would he do her this favour? _Or maybe...?_

"Could we go and see my dad, when he was still alive?" Rose looked into the Doctor's eyes.

"Where's this come from all of a sudden?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't want him to die alone," Rose said in a faint voice, turning her gaze down on the grating. "I want him to kno-..." Rose suppressed the sob. "I want him to know that he was a hero to me..." She looked up with a sad smile.

"You don't even know him," the Doctor said in a steady voice while looking at Rose.

"I don't need to. He was my dad. That's all that matters... Can't we?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I can do anything. But I'm more worried about you." He looked at her in concern. There was no way he could resist _those eyes._ Not that he would admit it to her. Or anyone.

"I wanna see him." Rose formed a faint smile. "Can we see their wedding first, though?" She bit her lips nervously.

"Your wish is my command." He grinned at her and after pressing a few switches, with a familiar bump they landed.

* * *

Both Jackie and Peter Tylers looked so lovingly together at their wedding.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Susanne." A_nd as the last time, he failed to say her name._

_._

_._

"Suzette." He tried again.

.

.

"Anita?" Peter looked ablush.

"Oh, just carry on." Her mother gave up on hearing her name. It made Rose chuckle at the sight. They were so embarrassing to watch, but at the same time one couldn't keep their eyes off of them.

In the parallel world, Rose had Pete with them, but as much as he was so similar to her dad, as she remembered him, he was still not him. Her dad was just a simple man, who not really achieved anything big in his life, but was the most courageous man Rose had ever known. The Doctor and Mickey were both travellers, they were used to the danger. But this one man - her dad, was just an ordinary man, who gave up his life to save the world.

_And he would never even get to know that._

* * *

Then it was time for their second trip. _The trip to the place where her dad died. _

Rose watched as the TARDIS steadily pulsated in front of her eyes, until it finally came to a stop. Announcing of their arrival.

Once outside, Rose found herself again in the same place - so full of life, on such an ordinary day, without anyone knowing of the sorrows others would be experiencing at this very day.

"I always thought it would be all sort of grim and stormy," Rose said in a soft voice, reminiscing. "But it's just an ordinary day." she smiled sadly in the distance.

"The past is another country," he announced with a gentle voice. "You _sure_ about this?" he asked her firmly.

"Yeah." She turned to face him with a faint smile. _She had to do it. For him, for her dad._

They went towards the Jordan Road, and stood there, patiently waiting for the man to greet his fate.

"He was late." Rose began.

"He'd been to get a wedding present, the vase...Mum always said, "_That stupid vase._" Rose chuckled in nostalgia.

"He got out of his car." They saw Peter arrive in his car and park it. He picked the vase out of his car and started to get out of it.

"And crossed the road." Rose felt her heart tighten, and she must have made a painful expression, because at the same time she felt the Doctor take her hand into his and squeeze it slightly in comforting gesture.

Another car made its way from the corner of the building. It was steadily moving towards Peter Tyler, who was getting out of his car, facing away from the upcoming danger, totally unaware of the consequences.

And in a flash of a moment, when he turned around, he froze at the sight. The car hit him and he fell on the ground.

Rose turned her face from the view, burying her head in one of the Doctor's shoulders.

_It still hurt. _

When she looked back at the road, she saw the slight movement her dad still tried to make. Gasping for life, which was steadily fading away.

"Go to him. Quick," the Doctor whispered softly.

Rose turned to face the Doctor for one last moment before she ran towards her dad's body. She reached him in seconds time and fell on her knees while picking him up in her arms.

Peter's life was too faint for him to properly recognise the situation and the stranger holding him in her arms, rocking him slightly with tears in her eyes.

"You were a wonderful man," Rose said softly through her sobs, while holding his hand tightly in her grasp, letting him know that he was not alone in this.

"And your daughter is gonna be very very proud of you...Remember that, alright?" She smiled fondly at the man who was just looking at the young woman with surprise and gratitude at the same time.

_And then the life faded away._

Just like that. In a split of a second he was gone. Her wonderful dad died today for the third time.

_It was time to go._

She placed his head gently on the cold cement and after taking a few breaths, kissed his forehead tenderly. Saying one last goodbye.

With that, she stood up. Leaving her dad laying there on the ground. She slowly lifted her head up and saw her Doctor's understanding gaze.

He moved towards her and picked her hand up, placing it into his. He started walking them slowly away from Peter Tyler's body, towards the TARDIS, never letting go of her hand.

And neither of them said a thing until they reached her. It was a silent understanding between the two of them.

And with the doors opened, they gone inside - to their now new home.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**A/N: So then, yeh, I didn't make it happen because even back then, Rose said that if she had only realised she would not have done that. And now she was someone, who had already witnessed it and had so much more experience, and she would never try to turn her Doctor on the Reapers. **

**So, I cut only the scene where she said her dad one last goodbye. Because in this timeline, her dad still didn't have that one person, who could have held his hand while he was dying.**

**Anyway, thank you for your reviews and favs and follows...and everything. You are brilliant people, just know that. =} **


	10. The Empty Child

**Hm. Alright. Ah, I better comment below. **

* * *

"What's the emergency?" Rose asked the Doctor, trying her best to form a concerned look.

"It's mauve," the Doctor stated while rushing about the console.

"I'll never understand what kind of emergency colour is mauve," Rose muttered while shaking her head slightly.

"Universally recognised colour for danger," the Doctor continued without being asked.

"What happened to red?" Rose asked to keep him going.

"That's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings! All those red alerts, all that dancing!" he exclaimed. "I've hacked into the computer, slaved the TARDIS. Wherever it goes, we go!" He looked frantically from her to the monitor.

"Alright then, let's chase it." Rose made a pointed nod at the monitor and started to stare at it in full intensity.

"You don't even ask if that's safe!?" the Doctor asked, narrowing his eyes in disbelief.

"Since when something is safe with you, Doctor?" Rose shot back and soon a grin formed on her face.

"That's more like it." The Doctor grinned at her widely and seconds later had his focus back on the screen.

"Why are we chasing it again, though?"

"It's mauve and dangerous, and 30 seconds from the centre of London."

* * *

The whooshing sound echoed in the dark alley of London. Before long, the sound subdued and the two passengers went outside the TARDIS doors.

Rose looked around her surroundings. It was 1941, London during The Blitz, just as she remembered.

_Alright then. What do I know? Masked people, Jamie, Nancy, nanogenes...NANOGENES - gotta remember that. Jack. Right, gotta meet Jack. With...barrage balloon? Oh, great. _

"D'you know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?" The Doctor began.

"Hm. Five days?" Rose replied absentmindedly. "Or is that just when we're out of milk?" Rose joked. _Oh, it's not so bad of a feeling to use all the same jokes all over again. If dogs with no noses can get through this, then so can she._

"All the species in all the universe, and it has to come out of a cow!" the Doctor said in a faint sneering voice. "Must've come down somewhere quite close, within a mile." He started to quicken his pace in walking as he talked. "And it can't have been more than a month ago."

"A month!" Rose exclaimed. "That's not so bad. At least it isn't a year."

"You gonna hold it against me forever, aren't you?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Okay then." Rose dropped the subject lightly. "What's the plan? You gonna do a scan for alien tech?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a loud bang. I'm gonna ask," he said like it was the obvious.

"What if there was more than one thing that crashed here?" Rose asked and at once grimaced. _Not the right kind of question._

"Like what?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment.

"Oh...I don't know.." Rose played dumb.

"Then that's it! Come on." He turned to face the road ahead of him. After a few strides they were near some sort of gate, the Doctor keeping himself busy in trying go inside, whatever was supposed to be on the other side of that gate.

"It's not very Spock, is it, to just ask?" Rose tossed the question lightly while the Doctor was busy buzzing his sonic screwdriver at the lock.

"Door, music, people - what do you think?" He said leaning on the gate, looking at he expectedly.

She could barely hold it for herself and not tell him that he'd better promise her one dance. But she managed to suppress the urge to drag him on the dance floor and instead decided to play her role of _the concerned of the alien threat companion._

"I think you should do a scan for alien tech," Rose sang. "Come on. Gimme some Spock for once! Would it kill ya?"

"You sure about that T-shirt?" The Doctor eyed her suspiciously, ignoring her previous remark.

"Oh, I AM sure." Rose nodded. "And it's gonna have a lot of work to do," she ended under her breath.

"What?" the Doctor asked her confused.

"Oh, nothing." She sighed.

_"MU-MMY...MU-MMY..." _A child's voiceechoed in the alley.

Rose looked up to see Jamie on the roof and for some reason the Doctor was ignorant of that.

"Come on, if you're coming. Won't take long." The Doctor told her as he began walking through the gate.

"Sorry. Got things to do," Rose said more to herself than him as she began running towards the stairs, where she could reach Jamie. _And why in the world was the Doctor, with his superior hearing and all, being so oblivious to the kid?_

After going up multiple stairs, she finally reached the rooftop and saw the boy sitting there casually, asking for his mummy.

"Alright, Jamie." Rose began with her hands put in defence. "I'm not your mummy, but I promise, we'll get you back to her at the end of the day."

_"Mummy?"_

"No no-" And at that moment Rose spotted the rope of the barrage balloon, waving in front of her.

"Blimey, this is it." Rose joked nervously. "Please don't let me regret this, Jack, what things I do to meet you." She chuckled at her own words and saw how the rope was starting to "_move away_".

"Oh, no no!" She started to panic that it would fly away without her. Led by the instinct, she jumped in the air, grabbing the rope.

"Wo-ah!" she yelled out when she felt herself slipping. "Calm down calm down. You gotta keep calm and hold on," Rose muttered to herself and tightened her grip, wrapping her legs around it.

And the barrage balloon began to move through the planes and bombs and dust. If you so wished, you could pretend it was New Years and fireworks playing in the sky. Just that this time, Rose was part of the fireworks show.

"The front line of The Blitz. Oh, well. It's going to be alright. Didn't fell the previous-" And then the realisation came.

_She did fell._

And with an explosion underneath, she felt herself lose her balance as she fell. She yelled for her life, as for a moment she thought she must have failed, but good ol' Jack caught her in the middle of the air.

She released a sigh of relief, once she found herself surrounded by Jack's tractor beam.

"Okay. Okay. I've got you." Jack's voice echoed in the air. _Oh, she missed him. Since the time he disappeared while rebuilding the Earth, as the Doctor has told her, she never saw him again. Now that she thought about it, it was kinda weird..._

"Oh, thank goodness you've got me," Rose answered back with enthusiasm.

"That's a charming way of responding..." Jack trailed off a bit. "I like you," he said with a tease.

"Well thank you." Rose laughed out loud.

"I'm just programming your descent pattern. Stay still as you can, and keep your hands inside the light field."

"Yes, sir," Rose said with a half mock and was about to reach for her phone.

"What are you doing?" Jack questioned her.

"Turning off my phone, so that it would not interfere with your..whatever you've got down there."

"Right. You seem to be awfully familiar with this stuff?" Jack stated suspiciously.

"Oh, just with the basics." Rose chuckled. "By the way, I would appreciate if I could possibly reach the ground?"

"Oh, yeh. Hold on tight!" Jack announced.

"To what?" Rose exclaimed half joking.

"Fair point," Jack agreed and pressed the switch.

While Rose was descending she began to laugh through her screams. _Now that she thought about it, it kinda felt like carousel. _And with a last flash of light she found herself in Jack's arms.

"I've got you. You're fine, you're just fine-" He was cut short by Rose's laughing. He looked at her like she was mad.

"The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little." He nodded slightly in understanding.

"Sorry. That was just fun!" Rose beamed at him while pointing upwards. "Like a carousel." She chuckled.

"Ok-ay..." Jack eyed her questioningly. "You feeling alright?" He chuckled.

"Oh, I'm just fine." Rose shrugged while landing off his embrace. "You don't expect me to faint on you, are you?" She teased him.

"We-ll, you look a bit dizzy," he said in concern, still half holding her to keep Rose steady.

"What about you? You're not even in focus-" She pointed at him and those were her last words before she fainted.

* * *

When Rose woke up she found herself laid down on the bed at Jack's ship.

"And I thought I got used to it...guess not with this body," Rose muttered while standing up.

It was quite dark inside. _Captain must be enjoying the view. _"You got lights in here?" Rose called out. And in a moment Jack lit his ship up.

"Hello." He greeted her, sitting in his captain's chair.

"Hello," Rose answered simply.

"Hello," Jack repeated himself and chuckled.

"Let's not start that again." Rose turned her head to the side while smiling and putting her hands in defence mode.

"Again? We didn't even greet each other. I'm filling up for the previous time," Jack answered, chuckling.

"Okay then." Rose nodded with a grin. _Keep your timelines together._

"Captain Jack Harkness, 133 Squadron, Royal Air Force, American volunteer." Jack introduced himself in a business like manner while showing Rose his psychic paper.

"Sorry, that's not gonna work on me." Rose shrugged. Jack was looking at her in confusion.

"That's psychic paper." She nodded towards it. "It tells me whatever you want to tell me."

"How do you know?" Jack crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair, clearly unhappy about his failed trick.

"Two things. One, I have a friend that uses this all the time." Jack exhaled in understanding. "And, two, you handed me a piece of paper saying you're single and work out," Rose ended in a soft voice.

"Tricky thing, psychic paper." And he leaned towards Rose to get it back.

"Yeah," Rose just agreed. "Can't let your mind wander when you're handing it over." She grinned at him.

"Oh." Jack looked blankly at the paper. "Oh?" He raised his eyebrow. "So, you are sort of single, but consider yourself in a complicated relationship...And at the same time you consider yourself available for short dates?" He looked back at her smirking.

"We-ll, that's only sometimes. When I meet _interesting _people." Rose smirked back. _Can't steal our first date with Jack now, can I?_

"That's a good way of thinking," he agreed with her while standing up.

"Nice spaceship, by the way." Rose looked around it.

"Gets me around."

"Ver-y...Spock." Rose looked back at Jack to see his reaction.

"Who?" Jack looked confused.

"Well, I guess you are still not a local boy then," Rose muttered.

"Judging from your belongings, guessing you are not the local girl yourself."

"Guessing right." Rose smiled as she went to look through the glass window. When she leaned she jumped back slightly as her hands itched. _Although, not as much as the last time. The bruises were a lot softer._

"Burnt your hands on the rope?" Jack's voice came from behind.

"It seems so." Rose looked at her hands.

"Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?" Jack asked gently.

"Sure." Rose walked up to him and placed her palms upwards.

"You are very trusting of people, or is it just me?" Jack gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, just you." Rose nodded smirking. "And some other ones," she added.

"Ouch. I am not an exception then," Jack complained, half-laughing, making Rose chuckle.

Rose sat down in captain's chair as Jack was buzzing her hands to check for damages. "You can stop acting now. I know who you are," he stated calmly. "I can spot a time agent, a mile away."

"Oh. 'Guess you've got me." Rose shrugged.

"Mmm, I've been expecting one of you guys to show up. Though not, I must say, by barrage balloon! Often travel that way?"

"Sometimes I get swept off my feet." They grinned at each other. The next moment Jack was wrapping her hands up.

"A bondage? That's modern," Rose said half-mocking. "Though I must say, I'm not really running away, am I?"

"Not that surprising. But I need you to keep still." As he pressed a few buttons, nanogenes appeared on her palms, repairing her damaged hands.

"Nanogenes." Jack grinned, and saw as Rose looked with a gentle smile at her palms. "The air is full of them. They've just repaired two layers of your skin." He untied the bondage.

_Okay, one layer less._

"Shall we get down to business?" Jack walked away from her.

"Fine by me."

"Shall we have a drink on the balcony?" He looked at her suggestively while holding champagne. "Bring up the glasses," he shouted out while climbing the stairs.

* * *

"I know I'm standing on something," Rose said, when she made the first steps on the spaceship's roof._ Still one would feel unsteady, when you don't see the actual object._ Thankfully, Jack understood that much and soon Jack's chula ship came into view.

"OK, you have an invisible space ship." Rose tried to play innocence.

"Yeah."

"Tethered up to Big Ben," Rose stated simply.

"First rule of active camouflage-" Jack started.

"_Park somewhere you'll remember_," they said in unison.

"You know this stuff," Jack exclaimed. "Well, of course, how could you not...Woah!" They both laughed out loud as the champagne shot out.

"It's getting late. I should be getting back." Rose tried to play along.

"We're discussing business. I try never to discuss business with a clear head." He made a toast to her, before drinking. Then he abruptly stood up and walked towards Rose.

"Are you travelling alone? Are you authorised to negotiate with me?" He was looking at her with intention in his eyes.

"Well, I should talk to my...companion," Rose said mysteriously.

"Companion"?" Jack asked in bewilderment.

"I should really be getting back to him."

"_Him_? Is that the same one you have the complicated relationship with?" he asked in a disappointed voice.

"Yeh," Rose said absentmindedly. "Wha-? No." After realising what she said, Rose tried to correct herself.

Jack made his way to Rose to grab her into his arms. "Since you are so uncertain of your answer. Does that mean I still stand a chance?" He looked into her eyes, holding her body firmly to his. _He knew how to play this game._

"Ok. Jack," Rose stated calmly. As much as fun this was, they better start moving to the Doctor.

"Oh, we're getting familiar." Before Rose could say anything, he interrupted her. "Do you like Glenn Miller?" And the next moment the music surrounded them, as he swept her in his arms for a dance.

"It's 1941, height of the London blitz, height of the German bombing campaign. And something else has fallen on London - a fully-equipped Chula warship, the last one in existence." Jack began his story while they swayed together. Rose chuckled at that. _He is so not gonna sell it this time round._

"And I know where it is, because I parked it. If the agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever. That's your deadline. That's the deal." He stopped them, ceasing the dance.

Come to think of it._ How did she not see through it the last time?_ A valuable object, last in existence, parked on the bomb zone.

"No, seriously. If you want to sell us something, we should be getting back to my companion." She looked him in the eyes. "Although, I don't know where he is." _Oh, a slight lie._

"That's easy - I'll do a scan for alien tech."

* * *

Soon enough, they found themselves in the hospital. It was, obviously, not an ordinary twentieth century hospital. It had new occupants. A hospital filled with masked people, calling for their mummies. Sadly, only Rose knew that.

They met the Doctor in the hallway moments later.

"Good evening." Jack offered to shake his hand to the Doctor. "Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you." Jack gave Rose a meaningful smirk, which made Rose shot him a warning glare. The Doctor looked at both of them confused.

"He knows." Rose quickly disturbed his thoughts. "About us being _Time Agents_." The Doctor just nodded.

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr Spock," Jack said, hitting the Doctor on the back a bit, while making his way forward.

"Mr Spock?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment, when him and Rose were left behind in the corridor.

"You don't give me Spock, when I ask you." Rose looked at him with her head down, but locking her gaze with his. "I just had to create one myself." She shrugged while grinning with tongue.

The Doctor was clearly unhappy, but dropped the subject. "Where have you been? We're in the middle of London Blitz. It's not a good time for a stroll!"

"Who's strollin'? I went by barrage balloon." The Doctor gave her a look, while Rose started walking. "Only way to see an air raid."

"What_?_" Her frowned in surprise.

"Listen, he seems to be a con man, who wants to sell us some kind of...chula warship..." Rose came to a stop to explain.

"What? Why are you together with a con man then?" _It was really a weird thing to hear._

"He can get better." With that Rose walked to the room.

"How would you know? And chula?" The Doctor followed her.

* * *

As Jack scanned the masked people, he started pacing about the room. "This just isn't possible." He was waving his hands around. "How did this happen?"

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" the Doctor asked.

"Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this." Jack answered harshly, feeling a bit disturbed. _Okay, more than a bit._

"_This_ started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it," the Doctor insisted, now raising his voice. "What kind of warship?"

"An ambulance!" Jack shot back. "Look, this is what chased you through the time vortex." He showed them a hologram of an ambulance. "It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. I threw it at you, saw your time-travel vehicle - love the retro look, by the way - threw you the bait."

"So you _were_ a con man," the Doctor stated in not surprised tone.

"What, you knew?" Jack asked in bewilderment.

"I...suspected," Rose replied innocently.

"Then why? Oh. You are not Time Agents either, are you?" He asked them sarcastically.

"Just a couple more freelancers," Rose muttered. "And we could always use some help from time travellers, when dealing with this kind of situation.." Rose gestured to the beds.

"I should've known, the way you guys are blending with the local colour! Flag Girl was bad enough, but _U-Boat Captain_?" He raised his voice in disbelief, pointing at their clothes. When Jack described the Doctor's outfit, Rose burst out laughing.

"What? What's wrong with my jumper?" the Doctor asked.

"Anyway, whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship," Jack interrupted.

"Human DNA is being rewritten. And by an idiot," the Doctor stated. "Must be some kind of virus converting human beings into these things."

_Oh, when the answer is simply nanogenes, it is killing to act like you know nothing about it. _

"But why? What's the point?" the Doctor continued. The next moment all masked people woke up and started walking towards the group, cornering them.

_ Mummy! Mum-my! Mummy?_

"What's happening?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered.

_Mummy! Mummy!_

"Just don't let 'em touch you!" Rose shouted.

The Doctor gave her a look. "I saw what happens," Rose stated blankly.

"Why, what happens if they touch us?" Jack questioned.

"You're looking at it!"

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**A/N: Okay, so I know that I barely changed anything. In fact, nothing. Just some of the conversations. And I'm sorry for that, but it was kinda like with Harriet. Jack was a fixed point in time (not his immortality, but his character's appearance). I had to make them meet up, and if Rose would have gone all "too smart", Jack wouldn't have followed her. Or. I thought of a way to make them meet up differently. But how could I disturb their little date?**

**Also, when the answer is only "nanogenes" it makes everything a bit too hard. Can't just make Rose say "Can't nanogenes fix the masked people?". Since when she is so smart? Well she is, but not as much, yet, at least. And, that would kinda make the end of the episode. Need some drama! Lol. Even if Rose doesn't really feel it...sigh**

**Actually, I already have a few changes in mind. And a few major. So, I can only hope you won't be too disappointed with this and wait on for the later chapters. **


	11. The Doctor Dances

**Hello! Here I am again. Lol. Either way, thank you very much for your reviews, always grateful "bows". I thought of this idea, in this chapter, with the help of our fellow friend - Akua. Now then, off we go. **

* * *

They were getting closer and closer, cornering the trio, with no way out. Rose was already starting to prepare herself to give them some of Tylers special scoldings, as she made a step forward. But in the same second the Doctor started ahead of her, leaving her with mouth half opened.

"Go to your room!" Was his first words.

"Go to your room!" He tried again, making the masked people bend their heads on the side, questioningly. "I mean it."

"I'm very, very angry with you." The Doctor gazed at the group with a father's like attitude. "I'm very, very cross."

"GO. TO. YOUR. ROOM!" he shouted at them.

It seemed to work. Before long, every masked person in the room was turning around with their heads lowered down in shame. Step by step they closed the distance to their beds. When they finally reached them, they obediently laid down.

It was sad, looking at people - men and women, elderly and young, being so unlike themselves. Having no will over their body, but a child's mind. Rose looked at them with a half-smile. She could only be glad that this time round _everybody lives._

"I wanted to do that," Rose said complaining to the Doctor. As much as pitiful the situation looked like, in the end, everything would work out. So for now, she could certainly use her time to the fullest.

"How did you know that would work?" the Doctor asked her, narrowing his eyes.

"Same way as you did." Rose shrugged.

"But I didn't!"

"Well, neither did I!" They locked their gazes intensely for a moment, but then Jack coughed.

"Guys guys! We don't have time for this!" He put his hands ahead in defence.

"You're right." The Doctor turned his gaze away from the two of them, but seconds later he returned to face Jack. "Did I just say _you were right?"_

"Yeh, I guess you did." Jack beamed at him.

"I take that back," the Doctor said while walking away further into the room. Jack's face twisted to an unhappy one.

"I thought men don't take back their words?" Rose asked, following the Doctor.

"That's right - _men,_" he agreed. Rose rolled her eyes.

"How was your con supposed to work?" the Doctor asked Jack harshly.

"Simple enough, really." Jack came to sit on the chair. "Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable, and name a price. When he's put 50% up-front, oops, a German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever," he said nonchalantly. "I buy him a drink with his own money and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect, self-cleaning con."

"Yeah. _Perfect_," the Doctor said sarcastically.

"The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners. Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it, though. But you've got to set your alarm for Volcano Day." Jack joked. But the Doctor's face didn't look amused at all. Quickly Jack stopped laughing.

"Take a look around the room." The Doctor told him. "This is what your piece of harmless space junk did."

"It was a burnt-out medical transporter, it was empty!" Jack defended himself.

"Rose." The Doctor called out for her while walking towards the doors.

"Coming!"

"I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living," Jack said to their backs. Rose looked back to him and gave him an understanding smile. "I harmed no-one! I don't know what's happening, but I had nothing to do with it."

"I'll tell you what's happening." The Doctor looked back at Jack. "You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's Volcano Day!" he exclaimed.

_Soon an alarming sound echoed from the outside._

"What's that?" Rose asked in reflex.

"The all clear." Jack tried his luck.

"I wish," the Doctor said sarcastically before running through the doors.

They ran through the hallways, the Doctor ahead of Jack and Rose.

"Mr. Spock?" Jack called out. "Doctor," Rose corrected. "This way." She lead them to the stairs.

"You got a blaster?" the Doctor asked Jack, when the two caught up to him.

"Sure," Jack said with enthusiasm. Before long, he was pointing a blaster towards the door, creating a big hole in it.

"What's wrong with your sonic screwdriver?" Rose asked cheekily.

"Nothing," the Doctor answered simply.

"Sonic blaster, fifty first century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?" the Doctor said in a smart tone.

"You've been to the factories?" Jack asked, interested.

"Once. There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. _Bananas are good." _The Doctor smiled and entered the room. Rose just shook her head, smiling when following his back with her gaze.

"Nice blast pattern," Rose said teasingly to Jack.

"Digital." Jack told her proudly.

"I like it." Rose beamed to him and heard Jack chuckle.

* * *

Inside the room Jack and the Doctor were both gathering information about the_ angry and powerful. _When moments later, the Time Lord pressed on the switch.

_"Are you my mummy?" _the child's voice asked in the recorder._ "I want my mummy. Are you my mummy?"_

The people with masks were not the real pitiful ones._ Jamie was. Nancy. His mother, giving birth to him in her teens, in twentieth century... the poor child just wanted his mum. _

"He doesn't know who his mum is..." Rose said faintly.

The Doctor wore an unreadable expression. He couldn't grasp what was going on. Shortly after, he started pacing around the room, his anxiety rising.

"Can you sense it?" he asked frantically. _I can't sense, but I can remember._

"Sense what?" Jack asked.

"Coming out of the walls. Can't you feel it?" He raised his voice. Rose turned her gaze towards the doors - they were half open.

_"Mummy?"_

"Funny little human brains! How do you get around in those things?" The Doctor mocked them.

"When he's stressed, he likes to insult species." Rose told Jack in a hurry.

"Rose, I'm thinking!" the Doctor shot back. And at that Rose saw how the doors slowly opened more widely and a small figure could be seen.

"There are these children. Living rough, round the bomb sites. They come out during air raids looking for food."

_'Mummy, please?' _Rose saw Jamie standing behind the tape.

"Doctor." Rose called out.

"Suppose they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed," the Doctor continued, not paying attention to Rose's call.

"It was a med-ship, it was harmless!" Jack dug in.

"You keep saying harmless. Suppose one of them was affected, altered."

"Doctor," Rose said in a more firm voice.

_'I'm here!'_

"It's afraid, terribly afraid. And powerful," the Doctor continued his rambling. "It doesn't know it yet. But it will do. It's got the power of a god and I just sent it to its room!"

"Doctor!" Rose shouted.

"What?" The Doctor looked at her confused.

"The tape!" Rose cried.

"What ta-" he began, but then the realisation came. "Ah." He pressed his lips together.

_'I'm here! 'Can't you see me?'_

"What's happening?" Jack asked both of them.

"The tape ended 30 seconds ago...I sent it to its room. This is its room!" The Doctor laughed nervously.

And at once he turned around to face Jamie.

_'Are you my mummy? 'Mummy?'_ Rose could see Jamie looking directly at her. _I'm sorry. I'm not your mummy._

"OK, on my signal, make for the door," Jack said, after calculating the situation, his voice low.

"NOW!" he shouted, pointing a banana towards the doors. When he noticed what he was holding ,he looked at it in horror. The Doctor grinned at the sight, satisfied with his successful trick. Moments later, he was searching his pockets for the blaster.

He took it out and pointed towards the wall, wanting to make the door space, but found another banana in his hands.

"What?" He looked at it in same horror as Jack.

Shortly after, a space appeared at the same place where the Doctor was pointing at seconds ago, Rose holding the blaster.

"Hurry!" she shouted out to them, going out first, Jack just behind.

"Don't drop the banana!" the Doctor warned Jack just before going out himself.

"Why not!?" Jack cried.

"Good source of potassium!" the Doctor answered.

"Switch!" Rose called to Jack as they tossed their _objects_ to each other, and now Jack having a hold of his blaster, was making the wall whole again.

"Nice switch." Jack beamed at Rose, making her grin.

"Okay. If you are done _flirting_, we might as well move," the Doctor said sarcastically, clearly not happy with the view.

At his words the wall started breaking.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted as they ran, just to be stopped in their tracks by another army of masked people.

"This way!" Rose called out and ran back to the breaking wall. _Going down again, it seems._

The trio ran back and as the last time another side was blocked. They were trapped from all the sides.

"OK." Jack tried to sum up the situation. "This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon and it's a triple-enfolded sonic disruptor," he announced, pointing it from one side to another. Rose tried to grab it from his hands, but he was waving it too quickly. "Doc, what you got?"

"I've got a sonic-!" the Doctor exclaimed enthusiastically. "Uh,...Never mind." He turned back.

"What?" Jack repeated the question.

"It's sonic, OK, let's leave it at that." The Doctor began buzzing the sonic, frantically pacing about in place.

"Disruptor, cannon, what?" Jack was getting nervous. One more time Rose tried to grab the blaster, but Jack just wouldn't stop moving.

"It's sonic, totally sonic, I am sonic-ed up!" _The Doctor was making no sense._

"A sonic WHAT?" Jack now shouted.

"Screwdriver!" The Doctor shot back, turning to face Jack, looking a bit embarrassed. As Jack looked back to face him, he was making a surprised puppy's face. Lucky enough, he froze for a moment and _finally _Rose could grab it from his hands.

"Going down!" _  
_

With a big thud they crashed one floor below, Jack filling the ceiling seconds later.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Rose leaned besides him.

"Could've used a warning," the Doctor replied standing up.

"Oh, the gratitude," Rose said sarcastically.

"Who has a sonic screwdriver?" Jack asked simply.

"_I_ do," the Doctor exclaimed.

"Lights," Rose muttered, walking in circles.

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, ooo, this could be a little more sonic?" Jack mocked the Doctor, both not paying attention to Rose.

"What, you've never been bored?" The Doctor challenged him.

"There's got to be a light switch." Rose talked to herself, it seems. _Why does it feel like such a deja vu. Like a bad idea..._

"Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?" the Doctor still continued.

And then Rose found the switch only to have a vision in her head of the fully equipped hospital room, with masked people waking up. _Damn._

_"Mummy. Mummy." _The patients sat up in their beds.

"Door." Jack rushed towards it. He tried to use the blaster, but it wouldn't work.

"Damn it!" He hit it in frustration.

_"Mummy."_

The army was slowly making their way towards them. The Doctor was already at the doors, buzzing them.

"It's the special features. They really drain the battery." Jack talked in excuse. Rose just rolled her eyes. _The battery._

They soon ran outside the doors, the Doctor sonic-ing them shut, as they found themselves in a dark storage room.

When the Doctor pressed the lights on, Rose grinned at the sight. _It was hers and the Doctor's dancing hall._

"Am I missing the inside joke here?" Jack asked, looking at her. Rose just shrugged nonchalantly, making Jack even more intrigued, but got no chance to ask more, as the Doctor spoke up.

"Okay, that door should hold it for a bit," the Doctor announced.

"The door?" Jack felt shaken by the words. "The wall didn't stop it!" Jack shouted in disbelief.

"Well, it's got to find us first!" the Doctor said like it was the obvious. "Come on, we're not done yet! Assets, assets!"

When they ended the talk about _no other exists, the _Doctor looked at Rose, annoyed by Jack.

"So, where'd you pick this one up, then?"

"Doctor," she chided him.

"She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance." Jack joked, smiling at Rose.

That clearly hit the nerve, the Doctor didn't feel like listening anymore. "Okay. One, we've got to get out of here. Two, we can't get out of here. Have I missed anything?" the Doctor asked them.

"We-ll... " Rose trailed off.

"What it is?" the Doctor asked her frantically.

"Jack kinda disappeared." She bit her lip.

* * *

"Okay, he just vanished, without a word of explanation," Rose said in a bit angry tone, pacing about the room. "Why is it always the good looking ones who do that?" Rose asked the question in general.

Always making the decision on their own. He hated when her Doctor done that.

"I'm making an effort not to be insulted." The Doctor looked at her meaningfully.

"I mean... _men_." Rose looked at him softly.

"Okay, thanks." He looked at her softly as his grin was all over his face. "That really helped." They locked their gazes for a moment, before a voice disturbed them.

"Rose? Doctor? Can you hear me? I'm back on my ship." Jack's voice echoed in the room. In a flash the Doctor ran to the speaker.

"Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you. It's security-keyed to my molecular structure."

"How're you speaking to us?" the Doctor asked pulling the cables out of the speaker.

"Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grill."

"The child can Om-Com, too," the Doctor said. "Anything with a speaker grill. Even the Tardis phone."

"So, the child can phone us?" Rose formed an innocent question.

_"And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to find you."_

"I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do," Jack announced.

_"Coming to find you, mummy."_

"Remember this one, Rose?" Jack said lovingly, as Moonlight Serenade echoed through the radio.

The Doctor looked around, from Rose to radio suspiciously.

"Our song." Rose nodded biting her lips. The Doctor just nodded in fake understanding and a forced smile.

_Your song, eh?_

* * *

Rose was spinning around in a wheelchair, listening to Glenn Miller and watching her Doctor focus on buzzing his screwdriver in an attempt to loosen the bars.

"What're you doing?" Rose asked softly, barely holding out a chuckle.

"Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete, loosen the bars," he answered, not looking at her.

"You don't think he is coming back, do you?"

"Wouldn't bet my life on it," he said sarcastically. "Why do you trust him?" _He somehow found himself interested in the latter bit more than he would admit._

"He saved my life. But well mostly because he is like you. _Except for dating and dancing,_" Rose muttered the last words, but loud enough to be heard.

He looked at her. "What?" Rose asked teasingly.

"You just assume I'm-"

"What?" Rose persisted.

"You just assume that I _don't dance_."

"Are you telling me you _do_ dance?" Rose grinned at him.

"Nine hundred years old, me. I've been around a bit. I think you can assume at some point I've _danced,_" he ended with a _duh _voice.

"Never saw you dance..." Rose sang.

"Well, I've got the moves, but I wouldn't want to boast," he ended with a hidden meaning.

_Now you've done it._

Rose stood up to turn the volume on the radio. Moonlight Serenade echoing in the room. The Doctor turned his head around a bit nervously, but quickly was facing the bars again. Anxiously waiting, but pretending not to notice.

Rose walked up to him and held up her hand. "You've got the moves?" Rose asked teasingly. "Show me your moves."

"Rose, um, ah, I'm trying to resonate concrete." He still tried to back away.

"Jack'll be back. He'll get us out," Rose said lightly. "So come on," she urged him. "The world doesn't end because the Doctor dances."

That's all the Doctor needed or that was the point where his rational part of mind snapped. Because soon enough, he jumped from the windowsill and the chair, leaving his eyes on Rose.

He took her hands abruptly into his, still facing her, but then glancing at her palms. "Barrage balloon?"

"What?" Rose said softly, too immersed in the view in front of her.

"You were hanging from a barrage balloon," the Doctor stated, inspecting her palms.

"Oh, yeah. About two minutes after you left me. Thousands of feet above London, middle of a German air-raid, Union Jack all over my chest." She joked.

"I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy friendly." He looked at her while raising his eyebrows, still her hands into his, not letting go, as he continued to inspect them.

"Is this you dancing, Doctor?" She chuckled at him.

"Hanging from a rope thousands feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise." He turned her palms around for a few times.

"Yeah, I know." Rose bit her lips. "Captain Jack fixed me up." She looked at him innocently.

"Oh, we're calling him Captain Jack now, are we?" he snapped a bit.

"We-ll, his name's Jack and he's a Captain," Rose said slowly.

"He's not really a Captain, Rose." The Doctor shook his head.

Rose chuckled while grinning at him. "You'll find your feet at the end of your legs. You may care to move them." She told him like he was a kid, while placing her hands into his and slowly swaying around.

"If ever he was a Captain, he's been defrocked." The Doctor told her in a low voice, being close to her now as they moved around a bit.

"Yeah? Shame I missed that," Rose said ironically. She locked her eyes to the Doctor's as he was looking tenderly at her now, forming a faint loving smile on his face.

"Actually, I quit." Jack's voice startled them, making the Doctor only look up a bit, but not move away from her.

_Oh, second time and still didn't feel the teleport. _Rose thought while closing her eyes and smirking.

Rose looked up at the Doctor who was now once again looking at her, possibly unaware of him still holding her hands.

"Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are _so sweet_." Jack pointed at them and finally Rose backed away reluctantly from the Doctor, turning her head down, and the alien himself just looked sideways.

She didn't want to let go. It was only those small rare moments when they were so close together back then or, as she should call it, _now. _

"Sorry about the delay," Jack continued.

"This is a Chula ship," the Doctor exclaimed.

"Yeah, just like that medical transporter. Only this one is dangerous."

The Doctor snapped his fingers and nanogenes surrounded his hand.

"These fixed my hands up." Rose pointed and started to open her mouth to talk again.

"Nanogenes," they said in unison. The Doctor just nodded. "There's millions of them in here, see? Grazed my hand while landing before. All better now." He moved his hand to send nanogenes away. "Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk." He told Jack.

"As soon as I get the nav-com back online. Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with whatever it was you were... _doing._" Jack waved his hands gesturing to the both of them.

"We were talking about dancing." The Doctor told him innocently, in a fully-believing-that voice.

"It didn't look like talking," Jack countered him.

"Didn't feel like dancing." Rose shook her head while grinning at the Doctor. He just stared at her in bewilderment.

* * *

They talked about Jack's motive behind his conning, about his lost memories and soon found themselves at the crash site.

"There it is," Jack began. "Hey, they've got Algy on duty. It must be important."

"We've got to get past him," the Doctor said.

"You should go distract him then, Jack," Rose said innocently, grinning meaningfully at him.

"I don't think that'd be such a good idea." Jack made a worried face.

"What? Why not?." _What is happening?_

"Yesterday, Algy and I...kinda had a...well, misunderstanding let's just say. I would be punched if I go now there. " He made a nervous laugh

"That's still a distraction," Rose persisted.

"Thank you, but I want to keep this face intact," Jack said sarcastically. "Besides, we already got a volunteer." Rose began to mouth a "what", when she saw where Jack was pointing at. The Doctor was steadily moving towards the infected Algy, all free of worries.

"No," Rose whispered in horror.

"It's alright. He is Algy's type." Jack tried to reassure her.

"He can't come near him!" And with that she started running towards the Doctor. She could hear Jack call her name in a warning, but she wouldn't be stopped.

For all she knew, nanogenes may have repaired the infected humans, and Time Lords may have similar DNA, or as the Doctor said, they came to look like that before humans, but if nanogenes were to fix him after Nancy, he could very likely become human. _Or couldn't he? _Either way, she is not gonna risk that chance.

She shook her head violently before finally reaching the Doctor. Unfortunately, Algy was facing his back on them at the moment and the Doctor was holding his hand to pat him to turn around. _It was not enough time_.

"Don't touch him!" she yelled out, as the Doctor turned to face her in confusion.

Rose managed to toss the Doctor aside, making him fall on the ground, but she herself staggered and then, as Algy turned around, he caught her to steady her.

_Game over._

_"Are you my mummy?"_ When those words came from his mouth, the Doctor could feel shiver go down his spine.

_Rose touched him. Or he touched her. But the aftermath was the same. Rose was..._

"Oh, God." Jack now was standing near them and looking at Rose.

Algy started coughing moments later, and he fell on the ground, his face forming into a mask. Rose looked at the view in a pained expression.

"Great, one time without face, now with a few corrections. Just my luck," she muttered to herself. At the same time the Doctor stood up.

"Rose," he said warily. She didn't dare to look at him, she couldn't tell him everything is going to be alright, it was not her place.

"Rose!" he said in a louder voice and began walking towards her. Once she felt that, she quickly moved away, finally turning to face the two of them.

"Don't touch me!" she warned them. The Doctor was trying desperately to say something, but each time he failed.

"I'm so sorry, Rose," Jack said with a comforting smile. And seconds later an alarm echoed, informing of the upcoming army. "We gotta move," Jack said silently, but firmly.

"It's alright." Rose tried to shrug it off, but her voice was starting to sound weak, and she was already sweating. "Oh boll," she said while wiping her sweat off her face.

"Nothing is alright here!" the Doctor shouted out angrily. It made Rose jump a bit. She didn't see her Doctor so angry often.

"Doctor..." Rose said softly.

"You are being transformed into a masked monster and I can't even touch you." He looked down on the ground frantically looking for the solution.

_"Can I-"_

_"I'm still just an image."_

She could hear and feel herself back at that same moment. So desperately wanting to hold him, even if that was for the last time. But being robbed off even from that. She knew better than anyone here, how did that feel like and she wanted to make him better. But was there a way?

Cough.

Cough.

_It was starting._

The Doctor looked back up at her with eyes filled with horror.

"You have to go," Rose said while panting.

"I'm not leaving you here." The Doctor was making a step forward, but Jack held him back.

"You have to." She smiled weakly at him "I wish nanogenes could fix this fever of mine." Rose joked lightly. And the next moment she felt losing herself.

"Mm-.." She tried to force her mouth shut, she didn't want them to see this sight. And they were still not moving away. So she made a choice herself. She ran from them with her last strength.

"ROSE!" The Doctor's frantic voice could be still heard from the distance, but it was not getting closer. She thanked Jack silently.

* * *

"Someone is singing," Jack stated blankly.

"So? Let them sing," the Doctor said harshly.

"No, but seriously." Jack made his way towards the tent. "In here!" he shouted out to the Doctor. He was not moving. "Doctor!" it made him make a look at him, but soon he was in the tent with Jack, getting Nancy out of there.

They made their way towards the ambulance, and as Jack showed them that it was empty, it sparked and sounded an alarm.

"Didn't happen the last time," Jack said annoyed.

"What is happening?" Nancy asked nervously.

Soon the banging sound on the gate could be heard. _They were here._

"Jack, secure those gates!" He pointed to Jack.

"Nancy, how did you get in there?" he asked her in a hurried voice.

"Cut the wire," she replied.

"Show Rose-" he began, but then felt silent.

"Rose? Who-" Nancy began.

"I need you to do something." He walked towards Nancy as he gave her his sonic screwdriver with an already adjusted setting. "Hold this button down while pointing at the cut wire, it will grow back."

"Wha-? How can it grow back?" Nancy asked in disbelief.

"Just do it! Please." She still looked at him questioningly, but soon took the sonic and went towards the wired fence.

* * *

Once she was done, she gone back to where the Ambulance was at, with Jack and the Doctor standing beside it.

"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops?" the Doctor began sarcastically. "It wasn't empty, Captain. There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species."

"Oh, God."

"Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child, probably killed earlier that night, and wearing a gasmask."

"All would be good, except one problem. These nanogenes have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do. They patch it up. Can't tell what's gasmask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. Because, you see, now they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't ever stop." The Doctor was raising his voice.

"They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is going to be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child looking for its mother, and nothing in the world can stop it!"

"I didn't know!" Jack shot back.

"Your excuses will not exactly bring Rose back now, will they?" he shot sharply at him. Jack lowered his gaze.

_"Mummy. Mummy."_

An army of masked people were getting closer to them from all sides. No gate stopped them anymore. They were out in the search of their mummy. And somewhere in between the group, blonde hair could be seen, being scattered by the wind.

* * *

They discussed the ship siren being a sign of it being under attack, and that way making it gather its troops.

"It's a fully equipped Chula warrior, yes. All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four year old looking for his mummy. And now there's an army of them."

The patients surround them, outside the barbed wire.

"Why don't they attack?" Jack asked, looking around.

"Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander."

"The child?" Jack said.

"Jamie," Nancy said softly.

"What?"

"Not the child. Jamie," she corrected him. "He's just a little boy who wants his mummy," Nancy stated.

"I know," the Doctor agreed. "There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy. And this little boy can."

"So what're we going to do?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor said faintly.

"It's my fault," Nancy began.

"No," the Doctor said firmly.

"It is. It's all my fault." She started sobbing.

"How can it be your-" The Doctor was cut short by patients crying for their mummy. He looked around frantically to see everyone react to her tears.

_"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. Mummy."_

"Nancy, what age are you? Twenty? Twenty one? Older than you look, yes?" the Doctor asked her.

The bombs exploded somewhere not far away from them.

"Doctor, that bomb. We've got seconds." Jack was beginning to pace about.

"So it's volcano day. Do what you've got to do," Doctor said not looking at him.

And the next moment Jack vanished.

"How old were you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway. He's not your brother, is he? A teenage single mother in 1941. So you hid. You lied. You even lied to him."

The bomb site gate opened and Jamie stood there at the front.

_"Are you my mummy?"_

"He's going to keep asking, Nancy. He's never going to stop." The Doctor told her softly.

"_Mummy?"_

"Tell him. Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me and tell him."

Nancy and Jamie walked up towards each other.

_"Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy?"_

"Yes. Yes, I am your mummy." Nancy told him, while bending on her knees to see him face to face.

_"Mummy?" _

"I'm here." Nancy looked at Jamie with soft eyes.

_"Are you my mummy?"_ he kept asking.

"I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry." And with that she hugged her child with full motherly love. Apologizing and loving.

In that moment nanogenes surrounded them. They view was spectacular. Both of them were glowing - a mother and a child. The Doctor looked at the sight with big eyes.

"Oh yes..." he began faintly. "Oh yeh!" he shouted out. "Oh, Rose. Fantastic." He talked with a proud smile on his face. "Come on, please. Come on, you clever little nanogenes. Figure it out! The mother, she's the mother. It's got to be enough information. Figure it out," he urged them frantically.

And with that Jamie let go of Nancy, letting her fall on her back with Jamie standing there.

"Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one." The Doctor walked towards the child to take his mask off. When he saw the kid's face, he couldn't suppress his victorious exclamation.

"Ha-ha!" He took Jamie into his arms, as he swung him around. "Welcome back! Twenty years till pop music - you're going to love it."

"What happened?" Nancy asked with a happy smile on her face.

"The nanogenes recognised the superior information, the parent DNA. They didn't change you because you changed them! Ha-ha! Mother knows best!"

"Oh, Jamie."

In a few seconds a bomb was making its way towards them, but then Jack's beam suspended it into air, showing the Captain sitting right on top of it.

"Doctor!"

"Good lad!" The Doctor beamed at him approvingly.

"The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis, but it won't last long," Jack announced.

"Change of plan. Don't need the bomb. Can you get rid of it, safely as you can?" the Doctor asked.

"Doctor, about Rose..." Jack began.

"No need to worry. She will be back to normal in a sec." The Doctor beamed at him while saying that.

"Really?" Jack's face twisted into a smile. "Never doubted you, Doc." He smirked at him. The Doctor nodded to him in understanding. "Tell her goodbye for me."

And the next moment he was gone with a bomb, just to come back seconds later. "Oh, and, Doc?" The Doctor looked up. "Tell her, I loved the t-shirt." He grinned one last time.

_Maybe he will not tell her that, - the Doctor thought._

The Doctor looked at his palms starting to glow with nanogenes. And he just had an idea of his own...

"You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves," he muttered happily. "I'll sweep you off your feet." He grinned and passed a bunch of nanogenes towards the masked army, making everyone fall down.

He watched in ecstasy as people started to stand up. "EVERYBODY LIVES! JUST THIS ONCE, EVERYBODY LIVES!"

He ran towards the doctor to help him stand up and told him to look after his patients.

And then he spotted Rose, coming forward to meet him. He hurried to her to hug her tightly. It made Rose chuckle. It felt so familiar, this feeling. After a long adventure, just the two of them. Together, forever.

"That was a close one." The Doctor told her while breaking away from the embrace.

"Nah. I knew you would think of something." Rose just beamed at him. "Thank you!" She squeezed his hand. "You made this happen, everybody lived thanks to you." She smiled fondly at him.

"With you together." He smiled at her tenderly. "Still got the moves."

"Oh?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "You better show them to me once more, as I was a bit out of it just now." She grinned with tongue between her teeth.

"Back to the TARDIS!" he exclaimed.

* * *

Back inside their magnificent ship, the Doctor was full of energy. He felt so alive to be able to save everyone for once.

"And everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives! I need more days like this."

"Doctor." Rose called out.

"Go on, ask me anything. I'm on fire." He was indeed full of fire.

"What about Jack?" she asked him softly.

"Oh, that lad asked to tell you goodbye," the Doctor said absentmindedly.

"Why?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Had to take care of the bomb..." He trailed off.

"We can't leave him," Rose insisted.

"Oh, alright alright," he sighed. "After all, everybody lives today." He reluctantly set the coordinates for Jack's ship.

"Now then." He turned the music on. "Shall we continue where we left off?" he asked her teasingly while making his way to her. Rose laughed out loud.

Glenn Miller was echoing in the TARDIS with Rose and the Doctor moving into rhythm. Or at least the Doctor tried to synchrony their movements.

"Let's just try another song," Rose suggested lightly and began to move towards the switch, but was soon grabbed by the Doctor, him drawing her closer to his chest, holding her with his hand on her back.

_Thump_

"D-Doctor?" Rose shuttered a bit.

"We can do this." His voice low. "That lad could, there is no way I'm any worse."

_Oh._

"I think you are experiencing Captain envy." Rose teased him.

"I don't envy him, Rose." He shook his head. "I _know_ I'm better." And with that he tried to spin her around, but failed.

"Okay, really not this song." Rose chuckled, moving away from his embrace. She spotted Jack looking at them in bewilderment. "Come on in!"

"I'm sure I used to know this stuff," the Doctor muttered to himself. "Close the door, will you? Your ship's about to blow up. There's going to be a draft."

Jack shut the door and the Doctor started up the engine.

"Welcome to the TARDIS."

"Much bigger on the inside," Jack noted and moments later spotted something else moving its way from the inside. "I see you got one more companion for yourselves." He pointed.

"Oh! Jimbo, boy!" the Doctor exclaimed while making his way towards the piggy. "Come, dance with us."

"Jimbo?" Rose asked while furrowing her forehead.

"Yep, good ol' Jimbo boy."

"You named him Jimbo," Rose stated her voice clearly annoyed.

"That's right. Common name," he answered innocently.

"You are _not_ naming him after Cassandra's pet," Rose said in a deadly voice while making her way to face the Doctor face to face. They stood there for a few seconds, looking intensely at each other, when Jack cut in.

"Woah woah. Sorry to disturb your lovers spat, so soon after I just came on board, I gotta note, but the little one here is getting nervous." He pointed lightly at the pig.

At the same moment the music changed from waltz to swing - _Glenn Miller's In The Mood._

The Doctor's face lit up at once, all intense emotions flowing out of the window.

"Rose! I've just remembered!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"What?" Rose asked him a bit sharply, still unhappy about Jimbo.

"I can dance! I can dance!" He began moving into rhythm, snapping his fingers, his face beaming all happily.

Rose tried, she really tried to maintain her serious face, but who could possibly resist the Doctor?

"Actually, Doctor, I thought Jack might like this dance," Rose said, already softened up.

"I'm sure he would, Rose. I'm absolutely certain. But who with?" The Doctor looked suggestively at Jack. Jack looked at him a bit lost whether to accept the offer.

"I'll take Jimbo then." Jack nodded lightly and went towards him.

Rose could barely suppress her chuckle. In seconds time she joined the Doctor, placing her hands into his, while moving about, laughing happily, until the Doctor ended the dance with making her back fall down at the last accords.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**A/N: Okay so. That's it for today. Hope you enjoyed. And let me know what you think. Oh, and I love those songs.**

**P.s. I thought I'm hallucinating Doomsday theme song, but today, while I was making this chapter and re-watching the episode, I heard Glenn Miller somewhere inside my home. I thought I'm hallucinating one more song, but shortly after I spotted the music coming from the TV! At some sort of medical program. DW is successfully haunting me. Lol Not like I'm complaining.**


	12. Boom Town

**Thank you! Loved your reviews for the previous chapter. Now, enjoy! Hehe. **

* * *

6 months later, after the Slitheen family nearly destroyed the Earth, Mickey Smith was casually getting off the train in Cardiff Central railway station. He was found heading towards the redeveloped Oval Basin.

Once he spotted the TARDIS in front of the huge water tower, he made his way to it, knocking on the doors.

"Who the hell are you?" Was Jack's first words, once he opened the doors, seconds later after the knock.

"What do you mean, who the hell am I? Who the hell are _you_?" Mickey glanced Jack over.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he announced. "Whatever you're selling." He glanced at him from above."We're not buying."

"Get out of my way!" Mickey was clearly having enough of him, as he pushed Jack aside while coming inside.

"Don't tell me. This must be Mickey," Jack stated while closing the doors.

"Here comes trouble! How're you doing, Ricky boy?" the Doctor asked lightly from above the ladder where he was fixing something.

"It's Mickey!" he shot back at him.

"Don't listen to him, he's winding you up." Rose chuckled.

"You look fantastic." Mickey praised her. Rose smiled at him tenderly. And before she could pull him for a hug, Mickey held out a rose from his jacket.

"Oh." It came as a surprise for Rose. _Well, that could be as well considered a friendly gesture. _

"Thank you." She smiled at him sincerely. And was once again trying to hug him, when Mickey gave her a soft peck on her cheek. _Oh well, this could still be considered as a friendly gesture, right? Yeh, no problem._

Rose made a nervous laugh while looking at him. What she didn't notice was that the Doctor was looking at the sight slightly unhappily, still mending something with his hands, but his gaze on the two of them.

"Aw, sweet, look at these two. How come I never get any of that?" Jack complained.

"Buy me a drink first," the Doctor suggested.

"You're such hard work."

"But worth it." The Doctor smiled at Jack.

"I'm so glad you could come by," Rose continued her talk with Mickey.

"Didn't see you in all those months, couldn't miss my chance." He smiled at her. Rose nodded at him, smiling .

"What're you doing in Cardiff anyway?" Mickey asked lightly. "And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash?" he said mockingly, pointing his head at Jack. "I mean, I don't mind you hanging out with big-ears up there" He pointed at the Doctor.

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Look in the mirror," Mickey said in a hint, the Doctor just shook his head. " But this guy, I don't know, he's kind of-"

"Handsome?" Jack suggested.

"More like cheesy."

"Early twenty first Century slang. Is cheesy good or bad?" Jack began walking towards them in deep thoughts.

"It's bad," Mickey replied at once.

"But bad means good, isn't that right?" Jack calculated.

"Are you saying I'm not handsome?" the Doctor shot a look at Mickey.

Mickey looked up at the Doctor before glancing towards Rose's direction and that's when his face fell. It was getting pale.

"Mickey?" Rose asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

"You got an alien on board," he stated breathless.

"Perspective, aren't you?" the Doctor said sarcastically. Making Rose snort a bit, but then she got her focus back on Mickey.

"Not that one," he grimaced. "That..." he began when his face twisted in realisation. "Oh no. Is it like in the movies? When only the chosen one sees it? It is, isn't it?" Mickey looked frantically at each of them, but they just stood there looking at him while making faces like "_What the hell you are on about?"_

"Oh God, now I gotta describe it to you." He began pacing nervously at his feet. "He has got this sort of...snout...a-and blue jumper...and he looks like a...pig! Like a pig just fully clothed!" He pointed at the direction of the arch towards the TARDIS hallway.

_Dead silence._

Seconds later sniggering sounds could be heard. At first still faint, then becoming louder evolving into chuckling and laughing.

Mickey looked around the the trio to see Jack clenching his stomach from laughing, the Doctor shaking his head with a grin and Rose desperately trying to suppress the snort, but failing.

"Have you gone mad? You got to stop it!" Mickey still persisted.

Then the Doctor descended the stairs, casually patting on Mickey's shoulders. "Rickey the idiot, never cease to amuse us." He smiled at him.

"What?" Mickey was watching them with eyes narrowed in confusion.

"It's-" Rose shuttered from her laughs. "It's alright, Mickey. We see him." She nodded at him while pressing her lips together.

And before Mickey could say anything more she continued. "He is our companion."

"A what?" Mickey couldn't believe them. "But he is an alien!" He pointed at him.

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed in a warning.

"That one at least looks human, who knows how much he is, though." He glanced at him from head to toe making the Doctor roll his eyes. "But that is...a walking pig!"

Rose chuckled. Jack was still shouting in laughter. "Anyway!" Rose tried to calm them down. "We just stopped to Cardiff to refuel," Rose began.

"The thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions." Rose moved her hands, gesturing.

"The rift was healed back in 1869," the Doctor added up.

"Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth, because these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway, but she saved the world and closed it." Rose talked in excitement, Mickey nodding.

"But closing a rift always leaves a scar, and that scar generates energy, harmless to the human race-" Jack cut in, now having calmed down.

"But perfect for the Tardis, so just park it here for a couple of days right on top of the scar and-" the Doctor complemented him.

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation-" Jack started raising his voice in enthusiasm.

"Like filling her up with petrol and off we go!" Rose exclaimed, Mickey watching from one side to another, getting lost.

"Into time!" Jack said lively while high five-ing Rose.

"And space!" the trio said in unison, Rose spinning around to high five the Doctor. Everyone was grinning all happily.

"My God, have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?" Mickey asked them.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded happily with his mouth half open in a grin.

"Yeah." Same for Rose.

"Yep!" And Jack, who slapped Mickey on the face lightly.

* * *

"Should take another twenty four hours, which means we've got time to kill," the Doctor announced, once the four of them made their way outside.

"That old lady's staring," Mickey noted.

"Probably wondering what four people could do inside a small wooden box." Jack sneered while chuckling together with Rose seconds later.

As the group started to walk away Mickey butted in again. "Wait, the TARDIS, we can't just leave it. Doesn't it get noticed?"

"Ricky, let me tell you something about the human race. You put a mysterious blue box slap bang in the middle of town, what do they do?" The Doctor placed his hands on Mickey's shoulders and as Mickey started to mouth the answer- "Walk past it. Now, stop your nagging. Let's go and explore."

"What's the plan?" Rose said while skipping around besides the Doctor, as he was walking away.

"I don't know. Cardiff, early twenty first century and the wind's coming from the east. Trust me. Safest place in the universe."

"Something to eat first?" Jack suggested.

"You're on it!" the Doctor agreed.

* * *

They found themselves in a restaurant on a small jetty.

"I swear, six feet tall and with big tusks" Jack was telling his story in full excitement.

"You're lying through your teeth!" the Doctor exclaimed while looking at Jack in amusement.

Rose was laughing out loud. No matter how many times she hears this story, it never ceases to amaze her.

"I mean, it turns out the white things are tusks and I mean tusks! And it's woken, and it's not happy," Jack continued.

"How could you not know it was there?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"And we're standing there, fifteen of us, _naked_-" Jack exclaimed the word with much power.

"Naked?!" Rose repeated while chuckling.

"And I'm like, oh, no, no, it's got nothing to do with me." Jack moved in a comic show gesture. "And then it roars, and we are running. Oh my God, we are _running_!" He pointed a finger in the air to make his point. "And Brakovitch falls, so I turn to him and I say-"

"I knew we should've turned left!" Mickey finished.

"That's my line!" Jack cried while everyone burst out laughing.

"I don't believe you." Rose hit Jack playfully. "I don't believe a word you say ever. That is so brilliant."

At that moment the Doctor saw the newspaper with a familiar face on the cover. He walked towards the elderly man as he snatched it from his grasp. His face fell as he read it and turned around to show his group.

"And I was having such a nice day."

_Oh, right._

Rose bit her lip. _Nearly forgot about that._

* * *

And here they stood. The invincible team of four. At the City Hall foyer. _Just add James Bond Mission Impossible and you get the image. _

"According to intelligence, the target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family," Jack began his smart talk while taking off his gloves. "A criminal sect from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious" While taking off his scarf. "Masquerading as a human being, zipped inside a skin suit."

"Okay, plan of attack, we assume a basic fifty seven fifty six strategy." That made the Doctor look up at him sceptically. "Covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor, you go face to face. That'll designate Exit One," He faced the Doctor, who was still looking incredulously at him, but Jack seemed to fail to notice that. "I'll cover Exit Two. Rose, you Exit Three." Rose suppressed the chuckle while watching the scene. "Mickey Smith, you take Exit Four. Have you got that?" He ended in a all smart tone.

"Excuse me." Jack glanced at the Doctor. "Who's in charge?"

"Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir." Jack turned to stand in a soldier's pose.

"Right." The Doctor turned his head ahead. "Here's the plan." _Pause._ "Like he said. Nice plan. Anything else?"

Rose chuckled now audibly.

"Present arms." And to that everyone pulled out their mobile phones.

"Ready," the Doctor said.

"Ready." And Rose.

"Ready." With Mickey.

"Ready. Speed dial?" Jack asked.

"Yup." The Doctor.

"Ready." Rose

"Check." Mickey

"See you in hell," Jack said with a tease and walked off to his exit.

* * *

Rose started to run towards exist three as she knew the Slitheen would try to go North first. Even if her running was not that required, as Mickey would surely turn up with a leg in a bucket, and the Doctor would just have to use the teleportation reversal, but still, running always felt good.

So she ran.

She ran with a full concentration just to see Blon stop in her tracks with a surprised expression. _  
_

She snarled at her and it only made Rose snort at the sight. _Not running away this time. _She faced the other direction just to see Jack running at full speed and then, the only available exit was exit 4. _Oh dear Mickey._

"Margaret!" the Doctor called out to the Slitheen. As he climbed down the ladder, Blon was already making her way towards exit 4.

"Who's on Exit Four?" Jack shouted out.

"That was Mickey!" Rose answered him lightly.

"Here I am." Mickey ran to them panting.

"Mickey the idiot." The Doctor mocked him.

Rose was already preparing to tell them that Blon is not gonna outrun them, when Mickey had other thoughts. He was too determined to let it pass. Moments later, the group watched as Mickey took the bucket off his foot just to throw it at Margaret's direction, and surprisingly, it hit her in the legs. Making her fall face flat on the ground.

"Ouch," Jack said in a mock, while grinning.

"Nice job, Rickey." The Doctor patted Mickey on the shoulder.

"Oh, well." Mickey just shrugged.

Rose just watched the scene in surprise and nodded in approval.

* * *

"So, you're a Slitheen, you're on Earth, you're trapped. Your family get killed, but you teleport out just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape. What do you do? You build a nuclear power station. But what for? " The Doctor interogated Blon, once the five of them made their way back in the City Hall.

"A philanthropic gesture." The Doctor smiled nodding in disbelief. "I've learnt the error of my ways," Margaret said while putting ice on her nose, which was now swelling up.

They learnt that the power station was going to be built on top of the rift, exploding the minute it reaches capacity.

"But why would she do that? A great big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself," Mickey asked.

"She's got a name, you know," Margaret countered.

"She's not even a she, she's a thing."

"Oh, but she's clever." The Doctor looked at her while saying, biting his lower lip with his teeth when he turned the model of the station upside down.

"Fantastic."

"Is that a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator!?" Jack exclaimed in excitement.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." The Doctor looked at him approvingly.

Jack was enjoying himself while he explained to the group that when the reactor blows, the rift would open, making a disaster, but the extrapolator would serve as a shield.

Somewhere along the conversation, the Doctor steadily made his way towards the project poster. Rose noticed his movement from the first steps and let her gaze follow him, until she looked up to see the haunting words, which the Doctor was now looking at.

_Blaidd Drwg - Bad Wolf._

"How'd you think of the name?" the Doctor asked.

"What, Blaidd Drwg? It's Welsh," Margaret said nonchalantly.

"I know, but how did you think of it?" the Doctor asked again.

"I chose it at random, that's all. I don't know. It just sounded good. Does it matter?" She shrugged.

"Blaidd Drwg," the Doctor stated while turning around at his friends.

"Bad Wolf," Rose said absentmindedly.

The Doctor looked at her in question. "You know Welsh?"

"J-just the basics." Rose played innocent. _Stop it. Get a hold of yourself._

_"_Everywhere we go. Two words following us. Bad Wolf." The Doctor looked concerned.

It was the first time when the Doctor noticed the repetition of the words. And it meant that the end would be near. She gulped at the thought. _This is it._ Her creation of the Bad Wolf is waiting for her just around the corner.

"How can the words be following you?" Jack stated a question.

The Doctor still looked a bit troubled, but soon dismissed the thought. _And she was not fooled this time._ In his long life, he knew better than to disregard such things. He _knew_ something was coming. _Just like with the storm approaching._

"Nah, just a coincidence. Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day. Never mind. Things to do. Margaret, we're going to take you home," he said nonchalantly.

"Hold on, isn't that the easy option, like letting her go?" Jack didn't want to end it like that.

"I don't believe it!" Rose exclaimed all happy. "We actually get to go to Raxacoricofallapatorius!" And at that she jumped into the Doctor's arms. Both happy to the core at the thought. _She loved the trip the last time, could certainly repeat it._

"They have the death penalty," Margaret announced, making the Doctor's face shadow. "The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty with no chance of appeal. According to the statutes of government, the moment I return, I am to be executed. What do you make of that, Doctor? Take me home and you take me to my death."

It was hard for Rose to hold her laughter as she imagined Blon as an egg in her mind. And it would not be appropriate to laugh in such a dejected statement.

"Not my problem," the Doctor said nonchalantly. Rose raised an eyebrow.

* * *

At night the group found themselves at the TARDIS. Slitheen admiring the ship, and faking her acceptance of defeat. Rose just rolled her eyes at the sight. She still had many things under her sleeves.

"We've got a prisoner. The police box is really a police box," Mickey stated in amusement.

"You're not just police, though. Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners. Each and every one of you," Margaret said slyly, while sitting on the armchair.

_Oh for God's sake, talk about wanting to make them feel guilty._

"Well, you deserve it," Mickey said with a bit wavering voice.

"You're very quick to say so. You're very quick to soak your hands in my blood, which makes you better than me, _how_, exactly ?" she asked meaningfully. "Long night ahead." She smiled pleased at her own remark. "Let's see who can look me in the eye." She showed her snake's eye.

She looked at Mickey first - he glanced away, then at Jack and the Doctor, until it came to Rose.

It made her face twist in frustration, when she found Rose _smirking_ at her! Rose could see how she was trying to form a word or two to get back at her, to make her feel ashamed of her reaction, but she failed each time and Rose just shrugged nonchalantly at her.

_Serves you right._

* * *

As Mickey was standing outside, looking at the waterfall, Rose came from behind to stand besides him.

"It's freezing out here!" Rose exclaimed while making a nervous laugh. _It felt so different to stand here with Mickey, compared to the previous time. And that other time ended quite horribly._

"Better than in there. She does deserve it. She's a Slitheen. I don't care. It's just weird in that box." Mickey was bothered by it.

"Everything will work out." Rose tried to assure him and smiled at him softly. Mickey glanced at her.

"I've been thinking." O_h boll, the conversation was heading dangerously at the same direction_.

"Yeh?" Rose asked, her voice cracking a bit, as she was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"You know, we could go have a drink. Have a pizza or something. Just you and me."

Sigh.

"Mickey." Rose began, her eyes down on the ground.

"I know what you said back then. But I don't want us to end just like that," Mickey said in a honest voice.

_It hurt her to make him feel pain._

"I'm sorry," she said faintly.

Mickey exhaled. "What happened really, Rose?" He was pacing about stressfully. "We were _nice_, together," he said lowering his voice to add more meaning into words. "And one day, out of the blue, you disappear with that alien thing and dump me the moment you are back!" He was now using blaming voice as he was clearly feeling hurt.

Rose looked at him painfully. "I-...I'm sorry it turned out like that..." She could feel her vision starting to become blurry. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Finishing softly.

"You said it has been only few days for you! Few days!" He raised his voice. "Did you lie about that?"

"No," Rose said while closing her eyes.

"Then how could you run off to him like that only after a few days?!"

She really didn't know what to say. It has been two years for her already. How could she say that, when even the Doctor isn't aware of that!?

"Mickey-" she began.

"No, you know what? Forget it." He puts his hands in defence while backing away.

"Mickey." She called out for him. She tried to grab him on his arm, but he pushed away.

"It's always just you and him, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically as he already knew the answer. Rose furrowed her forehead as she was making a painful and apologizing expression.

"I get it." He was slowly backing away refusing to meet her eyes.

It didn't take long for Mickey to completely disappear from Rose's vision, leaving her stand there alone in the open.

* * *

Rose entered the TARDIS with a few deep breaths, wiping her tears off her face just before. She found only Jack inside. Blon and the Doctor must be still having their little _date._

"Back already?" Jack said with a tease.

"Yeh," Rose said faintly.

Jack seemed to notice her weak voice as he looked up from his work to face her. "Everything alright?" he asked in concern.

"Yeh. Yeh, everything is fine-." She tried to control her voice, but it cracked in the end. She bit her lips while glancing sideways.

"Hey now. Everything is going to be okay. Come here." Jack got beside her to lead her to sit down on the jump seat. He placed his hands on her shoulders, to make her look at him. "So tell me, what's wrong?" He paused a bit and continued with a frown. "Did that Mickey guy done something to you?"

"Eh? No, no, he has done nothing wrong." Rose assured him. "It's me, that is wrong." She laughed sadly.

"How could you be wrong, Rose? You are great!" he exclaimed with a grin, making Rose chuckle with tears still in her eyes.

"It's just so _hard_..." she ended the sentence with a deeper meaning.

Jack pulled his hands away from her shoulders to stand a bit further from her, but still near the controls. "Is it about Doc?" he asked softly.

"Yeh, kinda." Rose laughed a bit.

Jack exhaled. "Look, as you are already aware of it... I have been a con man for long while, and I can spot one like me miles away."

Rose gave him a look. "I'm not conning him!" she hissed.

"I guess you are not, but still you are lying to him." He raised one eyebrow.

"I'm not lying..-" she began, but Jack interrupted, "Yeh yeh, not telling the truth, same difference."

"How did you know?" she asked faintly in disbelief.

"As I said, I can spot a lie. And, you!" he pointed at her. "Are horrible at it!" he narrowed his eyes in a mock.

"Heh, I thought I was doing well." She half smiled. _At least being undercover with the Doctor was what she was used to do._

"Hmm, I'm not saying you are bad at pretending itself, but you make yourself slip unnecessary." He shrugged. "For all I know, either Doc is pretending extremely well not to notice that or he is completely dense," he ended in disbelief.

Rose chuckled together with Jack at the thought.

"Why are you not telling him about your species?" he asked her.

"Species?" Rose blinked at him in surprise. "I'm human. What to tell?" _What is wrong with her species again._

"You got _time_ flowing around you, Rosie." Jack pointed a nod to her side, when saying that.

"Obviously, when you travel in time and space, I suppose you get _time _in you." Rose joked.

"Not the background radiation from the TARDIS," Jack countered.

"Then what?" Rose asked in bewilderment. _Now this was starting to get ridiculous._

"You tell me." Jack shrugged. "I've got no idea what it is, since apparently, something is blocking it out of reach." He paced around a bit but then stopped into his tracks. "I guess only Doc's equipment could identify it. Guessing he didn't try anything yet then?" He looked back at her.

Rose was just looking at him blankly. She blinked a few more times in silence then with a clear throat decided to get this straight.

"So, what you are saying is, I got something _time-ish _floating around me, and the Doctor didn't even notice that?" She looked at him with a hopeful look. Surely it was impossible for the Doctor to not notice such things. He is a Time Lord after all.

"Yeh," Jack agreed to her surprise. "As I said, something is blocking it, hiding it away, even from the Time Lord there." He pointed to the TARDIS doors. "I only learnt because I'm more curious and less considerate of others privacy." Jack winked at her, Rose just rolled her eyes, but smiling at his words. "And you really don't know about yourself?"

"It's complicated," Rose said while sighing.

"Oh, I hate that word." Jack shook his head while chuckling. Moments later he became serious again. "You can tell me." Jack looked at her in all honestly.

There was a short silence before Rose ended it.

"I sort of..." Rose bit her lower lip while searching for words. "I sort of crossed my own timeline..." she began.

"Woah there!" Jack put his hands in defence mode. "That's dangerous stuff you are playing with-"

"But not exactly." Rose interrupted him.

"So _did_ you or did you _not_?" he asked her again.

"Yes _and_ no." Rose held her gaze firm at his.

Jack gave her a lost look. "Okay! Tell me from the beginning." He urged her, moving his hands in a gesture.

Rose shook her head. "I can't. Anything I say could change everything. And I don't want it to change, Jack." She looked at him with painful expression. "I don't want _us_ to change." She suppressed the sob. As she took a deep breath she continued. "I don't want him to think of me as some alien or a suspicious threat.." she breathed. "This is all just so... _wrong_!" She waved her hands ahead of her.

"I won't tell, Doc. If that's what you are worrying about. But I might be able to help."

"I can't. I shouldn't even be telling you this, for that matter." Rose laughed sadly.

"It's alright. I can help, as long as it doesn't involve me." He shrugged nonchalantly. Then heard Rose laugh nervously. "Does it?" he asked her in a rising horror.

And the next moment the tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator gone wild, blinking and making sparks come flying inside the TARDIS. The whole console room was shaking with everything inside.

"Do something about it!" Rose yelled out through the sounds.

"We're not done talking!" he pointed at her before running to face the problem.

It was sparking and not making it possible for him to get near the device. Moments later, a key inside the TARDIS doors could be heard, as it opened to reveal Blon and the Doctor together.

"What the hell are you doing?" the Doctor shouted at Jack in question.

"It just went crazy!" Jack defended himself.

"It's the rift. Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's going to disappear!" the Doctor was running around frantically about the console.

Rose spotted Margaret standing there un-cuffed.

"What are you doing letting her loose?" Rose asked in a blaming voice while making her way towards her.

It was the moment Blon waited for. She soon dropped her human arm to the ground and began to move her claws at Rose. She dodged her, leaning back on the console, but unfortunately, making Slitheen make a hole with her claws at the controls.

_Oh._

"What are you doing!?" the Doctor shouted out. The next moment Jack was making his move towards Rose, but clashed into the Doctor, when the TARDIS shuddered violently as he was moving just in the same side.

"Come here you stinky human!" Margaret hissed, and with one quick move placed her one nail just at Rose's throat, making the Doctor and Jack stop in their tracks.

"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise," Blon said in a warning tone.

"I might've known," the Doctor said in disgust. Rose just rolled her eyes.

"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it. You, fly boy, put the extrapolator at my feet," she ordered.

Slitheen pocked her finger deeper in her flesh and it was slightly bleeding now. The Doctor just nodded to Jack to pass the device.

"Thank you. Just as I planned." Margaret smiled pleased.

"The extrapolator was programmed to lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift. And what a power source it found. I'm back on schedule, thanks to you," she exclaimed all happy.

"The rift's going to convulse. You'll destroy the whole planet," Jack stated, looking worriedly at Rose.

"And you with it!" she spat the last words as she stood on the extrapolator, grabbing Rose now by her throat.

And in that moment the TARDIS opened up. Her bright warm light coming through to the surface. Margaret seemed to be a bit startled by that.

"Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart. And it's the Tardis. My Tardis. The best ship in the universe," the Doctor said softly.

"It'll make wonderful scrap," Blon spat in disgust.

The sight made Rose gasp. As she locked her gaze at the heart of the TARDIS, she could see the words shinning brightly from the inside.

_Bad wolf_ sparked in a most beautiful light. Rose watched it with her eyes wide open as seconds later they blinked and scattered around, disappearing from the sight, like it was never there. Rose blinked as she glanced away.

"Beautiful." Slitheen was as much immersed in the sight, but she didn't question anything. It made Rose wonder if she saw what she did.

"Look inside, Blon Fel Fotch. Look at the light." The Doctor urged her.

Margaret loosened her grip on Rose, but this time Rose just stood there. Jack had to grab her to force her to come stand aside.

"Thank you." Was Blon's last words as she disappeared into the light.

"Don't look. Stay there. Close your eyes!" the Doctor warned them as he rushed about to close it.

_But she already looked. _And nothing happened. It didn't take over her._ Why?_

"Now, Jack, come on, shut it all down. Shut down! Rose, that panel over there, turn all the switches to the right."

With a good teamwork, they finally were able to stop the rift from opening, and the energy ceased to pour in the sky.

"Nicely done. Thank you, all," the Doctor stated proudly.

"What happened to Margaret?" Jack asked.

Rose leaned to the bodysuit of Slitheen, to find an egg resting there.

"She's an egg," Rose stated slightly, smiling.

"Regressed to her childhood." The Doctor found it amusing.

"She's an egg?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"She can start again. Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell them to bring her up properly, she might be all right!" the Doctor said hoping.

"Or she might be worse," Jack countered.

"That's her choice," the Doctor said while juggling Blon in his hands.

"She's an egg." Rose chuckled.

"She's an egg." He grinned. "Okay then." He stood up as he placed the egg in the container. "We're all powered up. We can leave. Opening the rift filled us up with energy. We can go, if that's all right."

"Yeah, fine," Rose agreed simply.

"How's Mickey?" the Doctor asked.

"He's okay. He's gone," Rose said with a sad smile. Before the Doctor could say anything, she continued. "It's okay. We can go."

He made a quick glance at her. "Okay. Off we go, then. Always moving on."

"Next stop, Raxacoricofallapatorius. Now you don't often get to say that." Jack joked.

"We'll just stop by and pop her in the hatchery. Margaret the Slitheen can live her life again. A second chance," the Doctor announced.

"Yeh. Second chances are nice," she muttered smiling in the distance.

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**That statement about human race. That we would only go past it. It shocked me when after some deep thinking I understood that it is exactly that. The Doctor's police box could stand there in the middle of the street and everyone would just go past it. Well, with DW now, I guess they would not, but if there were no DW, they would surely go past it. It made me start to want to check strange objects in the city. Lol**

**Anyway, please be kind and tell me what you think of this work of mine. :P**


	13. Bad Wolf

**Well... This one is more like a prologue of the next chapter rather than a normal one. But obviously important to the story. Anyway.**

**Thank you for your amazing reviews!**

* * *

They were running. Running with all their mights. They had to get away - and fast.

Rose looked behind her shoulder just to see a group, of around 200 samurai, just behind them, dangerously pointing the edges of their weapons - katanas, right at them. Just a few steps slower and it would pierce their skin.

"How much longer?" Rose yelled out to the Doctor.

"We are almost there. Hurry!" he shouted back while running himself. At the same time he started to slower his pace, falling slightly bit behind Jack and Rose.

"What are you doing, Doc!?" Jack looked at him in horror.

"Take Jimbo." The Doctor told Jack as he placed Jimbo on the ground from his embrace and nudged him on the back to make him run towards Jack. Then he turned to face Rose. "Open the TARDIS, I'll buy you time."

"Wha-. No!" Rose looked at him in horror.

"I'll be alright. Now, hurry!" He told her with a smile.

As Rose and Jack, together with Jimbo in his arms, reached the TARDIS, Rose placed the key in the doors, to let them open. At the same time they saw how the Doctor was standing further away from them, with samurai nearing by each second.

Just when Rose was about to call out for the Doctor, with the warriors making a swing movement towards the Doctor, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at them - a loud siren sound echoing and a blue light emitting out of it.

It seemed to be enough to make the group stop in their tracks, as they covered their ears in defence.

"That's more like it." The Doctor beamed at the sight and seconds later turned around to dash into the TARDIS. "Open the door!"

In a moment the trio plus one were safely inside their protective home. Safe and sound.

"That was brilliant!" Rose exclaimed first and then started laughing.

"Oi! Rose Tyler, we were almost killed by a historical samurai army only so they could get hands on this little fellow here." He pointed at Jimbo."And you laugh at it?" He raised an eyebrow in all seriousness.

Rose put her lips together. They locked their gaze for a moment. But it didn't last long, Rose's mouth was already quivering. And then the hysterical laugh started, together with a background oinking sound.

It would have lasted for hours if a sudden blinding light wouldn't have made them freeze. The Doctor saw how that bright light surrounded Rose firstly, then Jack and himself. Taking them somewhere, where their lives would be changed forever.

* * *

And now, here she stands, at the Weakest Link, with her fellow player Rodrick. _He was all about himself again._ He didn't care about other people at all. True enough, people weren't killed inside the games, but nor he or anyone inside the games knew it. Only Rose.

She bit her lips to stop herself from talking too many times now. She wanted to comfort the people who were evicted, to make their "last moments" not so frightening. But she couldn't make herself be evicted instead. She had to win. And for all she knew, Rodrick used his "tactical voting" as she expected. That's all she needed.

"_Rose_," Anne Droid stated the last question."_In history, which Icelandic city hosted Murder Spree Twenty?"_

"Pola Ventura," Rose answered calmly.

"_That is correct answer_," Anne Droid announced. "_Rose got 4 right, Rodcrick 2. Rose, you are the strongest link, you will be transported home with one thousand six hundred credits_," the droid announced.

"Oh, well. As long as I live." She laughed nervously.

Rodrick looked at the robot with horror filled eyes. "No. You can't. I can't die yet!" He began to shake, when he turned to face Rose.

"You!" He pointed at her. "I thought you were plain stupid, but you just were playing all along?"

Rose shrugged. "Strategic play."

"Oh, wonderful," he spat his words in disgust. "You looked like you cared so much about the others while in turn you just laughed at them, didn't you?"

It made Rose uncomfortable. She knew he was unreasonable, but only to her eyes. From his view of point, she really looked quite bad. But there was nothing else she could have done. She needed to be with the Doctor in this battle. And there was no need to make him worried unnecessary. At least for once, she wouldn't face death in his eyes.

And the next moment the lift opened with a very frantic looking Doctor and Jack, together with Jimbo (?).

"Rose! Stop this game!" The Doctor searched the room with his eyes. When he saw her name still emitting light, he sighed in relief.

"_Rodrick, you leave this life with nothing,_" Anne Droid announced.

"You managed to win?" Jack asked in surprise. Rose just laughed nervously.

"I order you to stop this game!" the Doctor shouted at the Anne Droid coldly while running inside the room. This game was just wrong. He could only be thankful that Rose escaped the punishment, in whatever way she managed to do that, but that didn't mean that other innocent people could die in vain.

"_You are the weakest link_." The robot was starting to point the beam at Rodrick, but by seeing the Doctor run forward, turned to face him.

"Look out for the Anne Droid, it's armed!" Rose tried to warn the Doctor, but he didn't slow down, so the only thing she could do was step ahead of him.

She dashed in front of the Anne Droid as she was preparing to shoot. "Rose!" The Doctor's frantic voice could be heard. She closed her eyes, waiting to be transported to the Daleks.

_But nothing happened. _

There was silence in the room. She slowly fluttered her eyelids open to see the droid looking at her. "_You are the strongest link. Can't shoot._" It spoke and began to move from side to side, shaking. "_Cannot shoot. Link. Strongest,_" it shuttered.

It was enough time for Rose to make her way to the Doctor. Once she was in the reachable distance he took her hand and smiled upon seeing her. "You alright?"

"Never been better." Rose beamed at him and found herself in a tight hug. "Good to see you," she said softly.

"Yeh, you too," he exhaled, squeezing her just a bit tighter. Rose smiled in his embrace.

When he let go of her, the Doctor's face twisted to that of a confusion. "How did you manage to win?"

"Oh, you know, used my knowledge of the travels with you." She grinned at him and the Doctor just nodded at her approvingly.

Moments later Jack, Jimbo and some other girl approached the two of them. "Rose, you okay?" Jack was first to ask.

"Same good," Rose answered him, smiling while pulling him in a brief hug. And at that moment Jack saw how Anne Droid managed to fix itself and was once again moving towards Rodrick.

"Stop it!" Jack shouted, now breaking free from Rose's arms and pointing a gun at the Anne Droid, but was too late. Rodrick disappeared in front if their eyes.

"You've killed an innocent man!" the Doctor yelled out with disgust towards this game.

Rose grabbed his hand to squeeze it tightly in assurance. Oh, she so wished she could tell him that it was not what it seemed.

Seconds later, two security guards appeared out of nowhere, separating Rose and the Doctor, taking their arms behind their backs.

"Don't touch them!" Jack was pointing a weapon at them.

"Sir, put down the gun or I'll have to shoot," the security guard warned him.

Jack glanced at the Doctor, who just nodded lightly.

* * *

All 5 of them were brought by the security guards. They took pictures of their faces' front, left and right sides and placed them inside the same cell, even with Jimbo.

_Is this the place where they were taken, when she was disintegrated the last time? _She felt glad all the more that she managed to stay together with them. It was really too horrible place to be at, when you think that one of your friends were dissolved into atoms just moments ago.

When one of the guards took the Doctor's sonic screwdriver from him, he started talking inside the cell.

"You will be taken from this place to the Lunar Penal Colony, there to be held without trial. You may not appeal against this sentence. Is that understood?" Nobody answered him. The Doctor was silent. And it could only be a sign, that he's thought of a plan.

When the second guard unlocked the cage to let his colleague out, the game began.

"Let's do it," the Doctor said, his head turned to Jack.

Jack was out first, knocking out the guard with a swing movement, the Doctor close behind him, taking care of another one.

"Nice work, boys." Rose grinned at both of them.

"Always." Jack winked at her while reclaiming his Defabricator with the Doctor retrieving his sonic and Rose with Lynda taking the guard's weapons.

They began walking out of the room when Rose came to a stop. "Wait a minute. What is Jimbo doing here?"

"He was brought here the same way as we were. Found him in the cage together with a lion playing gladiator game." Jack told her while still walking. Rose's face started to change colour just by imagining the scene.

"I was about to shoot the beast when our little fellow took care of it himself, by using his canines." He giggled at the memory.

"Canines?" Rose asked Jack in bewilderment. "He has canines?" Now facing the little piggy boy.

"You bet he does." Jack smirked at her while patting Jimbo's head.

* * *

They went into the elevator to be lifted to floor 500. Once again something was going on there.

"Okay, move away from the desk! Nobody try anything clever. Everybody clear. Stand to the side and stay there." Jack stated, letting the occupants of the room be aware that they were armed, while the Doctor's team walked forward into the room.

"Who's in charge of this place?" the Doctor said coldly, while standing in front of the controller.

"Nineteen, eighteen." She was counting.

"This Satellite's more than a Game Station. Who is behind the Bad Wolf Corporation?" the Doctor asked.

"All staff are reminded that solar flares," controller continued.

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at her.

"She can't reply. Don't shoot!" The man put his hands in defence mode when the Doctor turned to face him.

"Oh, don't be so thick. Like this thing can shoot," the Doctor added lightly. "Captain, we've got more guards on the way up. Secure the exits."

"Yes, sir." Jack replied while taking off.

"You. What were you saying?" the Doctor continued. "Why can't she answer?"

"She's er. The Controller is linked to the transmissions. The entire output goes through her brain. You're not a member of staff so she doesn't recognise your existence," the man stated, looking worriedly at the blonde woman by his side still with the gun. If the thing in the leather man's hands couldn't shoot, he was more than sure, the one in the girl's hands could.

"What's her name?" the Doctor pestered.

"I don't know. She was installed when she was five years old. That's the only life she's ever known."

"Door's sealed. We should be safe for about ten minutes," Jack announced.

"Keep an eye on them," the Doctor shouted out to him. Then looked back to Rose. "What are you doing with that gun again?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Oh." Rose looked at her hands blankly. "I thought at least I would look dangerous." She shrugged.

"Drop that down," the Doctor said and in a split of a second Rose tossed the gun behind her. The Doctor gave her a look.

"What? You told me to drop it." She looked at him confused. The Doctor just rolled his eyes, before the man started to talk again and he had to turn to face him.

"But that stuff you were saying about something going on with the Game Station. I think you're right. I've kept a log. Unauthorised transmats, encrypted signals, it's been going on for years," the man said.

"Show me," the Doctor said in a low voice. "Rose? Lynda?"

"Coming with you." And with that the Doctor followed the man with Rose, Lynda and Jimbo not far from them.

At the same moment Jack tried to open the Archive six.

"You're not allowed in there. Archive Six is out of bounds." The woman of the staff told him in a warning.

"Do I look like an out of bounds sort of guy?" Jack pulled up his weapons, making his point clear.

Jack placed his palm at the engraved palm, which was emitting some sort of blue light and opened the doors just to find the TARDIS parked in the white room.

Once inside the TARDIS, Jack quickly went to operate the console when his face twisted with the readings he saw on the monitor.

"What the hell?"

* * *

On the floor 500, the Controller turned off the monitors and started asking for the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

"I think she wants you." The staff woman told him.

"Doctor? Doctor? Where's the Doctor?" Controller was asking.

"I'm here." The Doctor told her as he walked up to her.

"Can't see. I'm blind. So blind. All my life, blind. All I can see is numbers, but I saw you." Rose looked at her in a pained expression. This was just so wrong.

"What do you want?" the Doctor asked her.

"Solar flares hiding me. They can't hear me. My masters, they always listen but they can't hear me now the sun, the sun is so bright."

"Who are your masters?"

"They wired my head. The name's forbidden. They control my thoughts. My masters. My masters, I had to be careful. They monitor transmissions but they don't watch the programmes. I could hide you inside the games. Knew that you would find me."

"People have dead inside your games," the Doctor said with a cold voice.

"Doesn't matter."

"Don't you dare say that." Now Rose shot back at her. She knew full well that those same people didn't die, but her attitude towards that just made her blood boil. What's more, those same people were brought here, inside the warzone full of Daleks. Rose furrowed her forehead. _They would die, after all._ And she didn't know of any way to save them.

"They've been hiding. My masters hiding in the dark space, watching and shaping the Earth so, so, so many years. Always been there, guiding humanity, hundreds and hundred of years."

"Who are they?" The Doctor's voice stronger now.

"But they speak of you, my masters, they fear the Doctor."

"Tell me, who are they?" The Doctor was getting impatient.

With the power back Controller went back to counting. "Twenty one, twenty two."

"When's the next solar flare?" the Doctor asked the crew.

"Two years time."

"Fat lot of good that is," the Doctor muttered.

"Found the Tardis." Jack called out to them.

"We're not leaving now," the Doctor said firmly.

"No, but the Tardis worked it out. You'll want to watch this. Lynda, could you stand over there for me please?" Jack asked her gently.

"I just want to go home." Lynda shook her head.

"It'll only take a second," Jack pleaded. "Could you stand in that spot, quick as you can." As she went. "Everybody watching? Okay. Three, two, one." He pressed the button and a beam came down, making Lynda vanish in a puff of smoke.

The Doctor looked at it with disbelief. He couldn't understand why would Jack do it. "But you killed her!

"Oh, do you think?" Jack shrugged lightly.

And with a another beam he brought Lynda back next to the Doctor.

"What the hell was that?" Lynda asked as the Doctor just looked at her in bewilderment. A new set of hope making its way on his face as he looked back at Jack.

"It's a transmat beam. Not a disintegrator, a secondary transmat system." Jack began talking. "People don't get killed in the games." The Doctor began to smile with Rose together with him. "They get transported across space!" he exclaimed.

"But that's fantastic!" The Doctor looked at him grinning. "Show me those readings."

They rushed inside the TARDIS, the Doctor looking all excited about their new discovery, as he checked the data of the beam together with Jack. Muttering some technical terms and grinning all happily.

Only Rose Tyler was watching the scene in a pained smile. He was getting a false hope. He will not be able to save everyone. She could feel the lump make its way towards her throat. She gulped and felt a soft nudge on her leg.

There stood their little friend looking at her with wide eyes with concern of them. Rose smiled softly at him. She had her mouth half opened, when the TARDIS started to shake violently and an alarm sound broke off.

"What is going on, Doctor?" Rose asked.

"Don't know." The Doctor looked frantically at the screen, searching for the answer. "Everything was fi-" Then his eyes widened in horror.

"Daleks."

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Okay, I know I cut off a lot but those parts were not essential for my story. And all of you already know how those games went. So well they just played out the same.**

**Well, please tell me, whatever you think. I'll take your notes into consideration and if there will be anything I can change for the better, I will surely do so. **


	14. The Parting of the Ways

**Phew. This is it! Finally. Oh, I so wished to show this to you guys. I had an idea of it some days ago, and was breaking my head thinking how best to present it and then earlier chapters gave me a headache too. But here it comes! **

**I thought I was dying to post Doomsday here, but it seems not only! This one is really...Well. Not sure what it is "really", but it is the first chapter which I truly like. And I hope so will you! I tried! But...tell me anyway, if I messed up. Like, seriously, do tell me. Better truth than lie. **

**Okay then! Here it goes. **

* * *

The TARDIS was shaking violently, throwing Rose and Jimbo on the ground as they were not holding onto anything. The whole ship was trembling with great force, as the Doctor and Jack watched the monitor with visible horror in their eyes.

"It can't be," Jack exhaled. "Those ships...they were destroyed!" he yelled out in agony.

"What Daleks got to do with TARDIS' alarm?" Rose shot a question towards the Doctor as she was lost about the whole situation.

"They're teleporting us into space," the Doctor said absentmindedly while working on the console.

"What? But doesn't it take a lot of power to do that...and what for?" With everything constantly changing she really didn't know what to expect anymore.

"Oh they are clever." The Doctor began in a dark mocking voice. "They've decided to strike first, before we could even react. As soon as we hit space, a missile comes flying at us."

Rose's face twisted in worry. _They can't just die like that. There's gotta be something they could do..._And then she remembered the forcefield.

"Doesn't the TARDIS has some sort of forcefield to protect herself?" Rose asked softly.

"Oh yeh, she does or more like could have." The Doctor grinned at her. "And we're going to create just that!" he exclaimed and suddenly turned to Jack. "Hold that down!" he ordered.

They worked on fusing the tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator, which Margaret had left them previously, into the TARDIS. Rose looked at the situation in anticipation together with Jimbo, who seemed to be just as lost of what was going on. They went towards the pillars to hold onto them, as the TARDIS shook fiercely once more.

"The extrapolator's working. We've got a fully functional forcefield," Jack announced proudly."Try saying that when you're drunk." He joked.

"What just happened?" Rose asked.

"The Daleks just launched a few missiles at the Tardis, but the forcefield of the extrapolator protected us," the Doctor answered her all smartly. "However, we were too deep in the teleportation when we created the forcefield." He narrowed his eyes a bit. "We made contact with the base of the Daleks. And we're going just there."

"What?" Rose's eyes widened.

"So we're going straight into the Daleks mother core?" Jack half joked.

"With full speed," the Doctor finished as they landed with a big thud.

There was a moment of silence echoing inside the console room, before the Doctor broke it.

"No good stood round here chin wagging. Human race, you'd gossip all day. The Daleks have got the answers. Let's go and meet the neighbours," he said nonchalantly while making his way towards the doors.

"You can't go out there!" Rose tried to warn him, but he was already outside.

_"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" _The Daleks started to shoot as soon as the Doctor stepped outside. Unlucky for them, the rays were stopped by a forcefield, extending a good three metres out from the TARDIS.

"Is that it?" The Doctor mocked. "Useless! Nul points." He turned back to the doors. "It's all right, come on out. That forcefield can hold back anything."

"Almost anything," Jack corrected him as he stepped out. Rose stood just besides him together with Jimbo. The Doctor just pressed his lips together eyes widening.

"Yes, but I wasn't going to tell them that. Thanks," the Doctor said through his teeth.

"Sorry."

"Do you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm," the Doctor said darkly as he went towards the Daleks. "You might've removed all your emotions, but I reckon right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left." He paused. "And that's fear." Daleks moved a bit uncomfortably. "Doesn't it just burn when you face me?" He looked straight at them. "So tell me. How did you survive the Time War?"

_"They survived through me." A_ low robotic voice echoed somewhere in the distance as the lights come up to reveal a large apparatus, which on closer inspection looked like an exploded giant Dalek casing, with a blue-skinned one-eyed mutant happy for everyone to see it sitting there as if on its throne.

"Rose, Captain, this is the Emperor of the Daleks," the Doctor announced in a soft voice, his eyes locked on the creature in question.

"_You destroyed us, Doctor. The Dalek race died in your inferno, but my ship survived, falling through time, crippled but alive."_

"I get it." The Doctor nodded simply.

_"Do not interrupt. Do not interrupt. Do no interrupt."_ Daleks started echoing one another.

"I think you're forgetting something." He began nonchalantly. "I'm the Doctor, and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages, and you haven't got one way of stopping me. So if anybody's going to shut up, it's YOU!" he shouted at them harshly, making the Daleks back away a few meters."Okey doke. So, where were we?" Now in a more lighter tone.

"_We waited here in the dark space, damaged, but rebuilding. Centuries passed, and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth, harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed. The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted."_

Rose watched him talk with disgust visible on her face. Every nasty alien thing just waits to get their hands on the dead. Jack was taking calming breaths himself. It was disturbing to listen.

"So you created an army of Daleks out of the dead," the Doctor stated.

"That makes them half human," Jack stated.

_"Those words are blasphemy."_

_"Do not blaspheme. Do not blaspheme. Do not blaspheme." A_nother round of Dalek echo.

_"Everything human has been purged. I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek." _

"Since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" the Doctor asked the emperor in bewilderment.

_"I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!"_ emperor continued on and on.

While watching him, Rose couldn't help but feel the words inside her head. _"You are tiny." _ She didn't fear him. Somewhere deep inside she could feel strength over the emperor.

_"Worship him. Worship him. Worship him."_ Another echo.

"They're insane. Hiding in silence for hundreds of years, that's enough to drive anyone mad. But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity." The Doctor shook his head with pity and disgust in his eyes."You hate your own existence. And that makes them more deadly than ever. We're going," he announced looking at the emperor.

_"You may not leave my presence."_ Emperor called out to them as the group started making their way back.

_"Stay where you are. "Exterminate!" _

With everyone inside, the Doctor leaned his forehead on the doors. He could hear another wave of echo coming through.

_"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"_

* * *

The TARDIS landed on the floor 500 once again. The Doctor moved outside first just to see Lynda sitting there, patiently waiting for their return.

"Turn everything up. All transmitters full power, wide open. Now! Do it!" the Doctor instructed the crew as he went further inside the room.

"What does this do?" the man of the staff asked.

"Stops the Daleks from transmatting on board. How did you get on? Did you contact Earth?" the Doctor asked in a hurried voice. They had to move fast.

"Well, we tried to warn them, but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programmes." The man looked at the Doctor.

"And the planet's just sitting there, defenceless," the Doctor stated. "Lynda, what're you still doing on board?" he asked her softly. "I told you to evacuate everyone." He turned back to the man, accusation clear in his voice.

"She wouldn't go." The man defended himself.

"Didn't want to leave you," Lynda answered softly. Rose looked at the girl with guilty eyes. The poor girl. She was so young. Too young for her life to end here, so cruelly at that too. She closed her eyes.

"There weren't enough shuttles anyway, or I wouldn't be here. We've got about a hundred people stranded on Floor Zero," the staff woman announced.

"Oh, my God. The Fleet is moving. They're on their way," the man announced, gulping at the thought of what it meant to them all.

"Dalek plan. Big mistake, because what have they left me with?" The Doctor was rushing about the room, taking cables outside the consoles. "Anyone? Anyone? Oh, come on, it's obvious." The Doctor looked at everyone expectedly. "A great big transmitter. This station." Jack looked at him shaking his head in disbelief. "If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it, anyone?"

"You've got to be kidding." Jack really couldn't believe it.

"Give the man a medal!" the Doctor exclaimed beaming at everyone.

"A Delta Wave?" Jack asked.

"A Delta Wave!" the Doctor exclaimed with enthusiasm.

_A Delta Wave_. Rose felt her lips start to quiver. She had to press them together to stop herself from saying anything stupid. So she just clenched her fists tightly until they were already turning white.

"What's a Delta Wave?" Lynda asked.

"A wave of Van Cassadyne energy." Jack began. "It fries your brain." He gestured. "Stand in the way of a Delta Wave and your head gets barbequed." He looked at the Doctor incredulously.

"And this place can transmit a massive wave. Wipe out the Daleks!" The Doctor talked with energy filling him.

"Well, get started and do it then." Lynda urged them.

Rose could only thank Lynda for being so active now. The last time she was here, Rose felt annoyed by her presence, as she just had to interrupt Rose's thoughts. But now, she didn't wish to say anything. And Lynda was her saviour.

"Trouble is, wave this size, building this big, brain as clever as mine, should take about, oh, three days? How long till the Fleet arrive? " the Doctor asked the man.

"Twenty two minutes," the man answered, after checking the monitor.

The Doctor worked on a flash speed to get the cables out. And soon they were in his hands. He just grinned at the group.

* * *

"We've now got a forcefield so they can't blast us out of the sky, but that doesn't stop the Daleks from physically invading." Jack talked while watching the monitor.

"Do they know about the Delta Wave?" the man asked.

"They'll have worked it out at the same time," Jack answered him. "So, they want to stop the Doctor. That means they've got to get to this level, five hundred. Now, I can concentrate the extrapolator around the top six levels, five hundred to four nine five. So they'll penetrate the station below that at level four nine four and fight their way up."

"Who are they fighting?" the man asked.

"Us," Jack stated simply. "Now, the guards had guns with bastic bullets. That's enough to blow a Dalek wide open."

Rose looked sideways. It was hard for her to watch all this. This was the deadliest battle she had experienced or will be experiencing since the whole timeline reset thing.

"There's five of us," the woman stated sneering.

"Rose, you can help me. I need all these wires stripping bare." The Doctor called out for her from behind, still sitting with his cables.

Now she understood why she was left behind with him. Even if back then the Doctor might have still had some sort of hope left, he wouldn't risk the chance of not reaching her in time of danger. He may have already thought of a way to send her back.

"Right, now there's four of us," the woman stated.

At the same moment Jimbo walked up in the line to stand as a fifth.

"Oh no no, sorry buddy, but you can't come with us. They are way beyond your canines." Jack joked. However, his laughter stopped soon enough, when in a flash of a second Jimbo jumped on top of the console, landing gracefully at that, a pair of sharp nails appeared out of his clutches as he swung them at Jack to take hold of his weapon.

_Click._

Seconds later a sound of a weapon being loaded echoed inside the room as Jimbo was holding it firmly in his grip, pointed at Jack. Everyone was stunned for a second, and Jack started to say something, when their little friend turned sideways and blasted the nearest table into dust, tossing the weapon back to Jack moments later.

"Wow," Jack just exhaled, while starting to make a nervous laugh. Jimbo just made a satisfied sound.

"Alright then. I guess we weren't so well informed about each other," the Doctor stated nonchalantly while getting out of the trance, and moving back on the cables.

Rose watched the whole scene in amusement.

"Then let's move it. Into the lift. Isolate the lift controls." Jack instructed the crew.

With the man and his colleague out of the way, Lynda just came up to the Doctor to tell her thanks. They shook hands and the girl began to move away, when Rose caught her into a hug. It seemed to startle Lynda, as she went stiff for a second, but soon eased up and hugged Rose back.

"Thank you," Rose whispered to her faintly, her voice slightly trembling.

Lynda broke off of her embrace and just smiled nervously. Not sure how to react to all this. Seconds later, Jack gestured for Rose to move slightly bit away to the corner of the room.

Rose went up to him with a questioning look.

"This is it, isn't it?" Jack gave out a sad laugh.

"What is?" Rose asked him questioningly.

"We're not gonna win that easily, are we?" Rose began to say something, but Jack interrupted. "I know you were eager to keep this all a secret. But is there any tips you could possibly give me to use while I'm there?" He chuckled a bit.

"Oh, Jack. I don't know... This was the last time I saw you," she said faintly, her face was full of pain.

"Oh." Jack looked up a bit, putting his lips together. "Guess it's my end then." He shrugged.

"_NO! Jack, no_!" Rose shouted at him in a whisper. "I never saw you again, but the Doctor told me you were busy rebuilding the Earth, so."

"Heh. Like anyone is gonna believe that." Jack snorted. "Neat way of speaking of my honourable death." Jack smiled at her, while Rose was looking frantically at him, scared for her dear friend.

"What are you two up to down there?" The Doctor called out for them.

"Someone is getting impatient," Jack sang and both Rose and him chuckled. "But I'm glad. That means you survive, Rosie." Jack cupped her face. "Remember, you were worth fighting for." As he kissed her quickly and went towards the Doctor.

"It's been fun," Jack joked while looking at the Doctor who just gave him an understanding smile. "But I guess this is goodbye." Rose walked up to the two of them.

"Wish I'd never met you, Doctor." Jack joked. "I was much better off as a coward." He told him sincerely while cupping his face into his both hands and kissing him lightly. Rose gave her last tight hug for Jimbo.

"See you in hell." Was Jack's last words to them as he disappeared out of their sight, with a smaller figure walking right beside him.

* * *

Back on the floor 500, the Doctor and Rose were working on stripping the wires bare. She was supposed to work fast but Rose could feel herself move slower and slower by each second.

"Stripping the wires bare, we got one great adventure here." The Doctor joked. Rose made a faint laugh sound.

"I suppose TARDIS would have worked it out faster than me," Rose said, making the Doctor smile at her.

"There's another thing the Tardis could do." He began softly. "It could take us away. We could leave. Let history take its course. We go to Marbella in 1989."

"Yeah, but you'd never do that." Rose could feel a lump make its way towards her throat, her heart began to quicken.

"No, but you could ask. Never even occurred to you, did it?" He looked at her fondly.

"Well, I'm just too good," she said softly, pressing her lips together. _And I'll not let you die here alone with the Daleks._

"The Delta Wave's started building." The Doctor dropped the cables and made his way towards the monitor."How long does it need?"

He looked at the console, pressing the buttons frantically. Seconds later his face shadowed, eyes closed.

Rose had to suppress the sob from coming out. She couldn't watch him like that. All hope lost.

He sighed, and placed his head down. She could tell now - he was gathering his thoughts of what he should do. And seconds later, he made a decision. His head shot up and he turned to face her, his face filled with a huge grin, unseen energy emitting through his body.

_Stab._

If any other time it was hard to force a smile, then this time it was just humanly impossible. While her Doctor was beaming lively at her on the outside, underneath him he was telling her goodbye.

"Rose Tyler, you're a genius!" He placed a quick, but tender kiss on her forehead, it being his last contact with his beloved human. Rose closed her eyes at the touch, savouring the gesture just as dearly.

"We can do it." He looked at her with excitement, his hands on her shoulders. Rose gave it all to form a smile on her face. "If I use the Tardis to cross my old timeline. Yes!" And with that he ran towards the TARDIS to unlock her.

He dashed about the console, pressing some buttons and switches. "Hold that down and keep position." He instructed her.

_She couldn't move._ She was forcing herself with all her might. But she just couldn't. Her hands were trembling and she just wanted to hug him tightly and tell him to _stop_. To not send her away.

"Rose! We don't have time. Now hurry up." He shook her thoughts away as the sound of his steps moving away could be felt by her.

She didn't even notice how she extended her one hand and tugged onto his jacket's sleeves. The Doctor came to a stop. It took him a hesitant second, but he turned to face her, with a a big smile on his face.

"Rose." He cupped her face. Rose looked deep into his eyes. "Everything's going to be alright. I've just got to go and power up the Game Station." And he let go of her face. Rose slowly loosened her grip on his jacket. _She had to._ As much as it killed her, she had to let go of him. And she was going to be the one to kill him. Because in this current situation, nobody in the universe could help them - except for _Bad Wolf_ herself.

"Hold on!" the Doctor shouted out and dashed towards the doors.

He was nearing them at a fast speed. The Doctor was already one feet outside, when Rose made a decision she thought she would not be making anytime soon.

She will tell him. If that was the last thing she could do for him – she will tell him.

In a flash she slipped her fingers from the button they were holding just seconds back, and ran towards the doors.

_And then, everything started to move in a slow motion._

Rose's one hand was placed on the TARDIS door's knob, with them already half opened and the Doctor was standing further away in the room with his sonic screwdriver in his hand pointed right at the TARDIS. Rose had her mouth half open, trying to form a word, and the Doctor's finger was already putting half the pressure on the button to press. He could see from the corner of his eye, that another movement was present in the room. Which was previously not noticed by either of them.

His face twisted in horror when he realized what that was. Before anyone could even form a thought of how to begin to stop the current things from progressing, the Dalek with an already pointed camera eye towards the TARDIS, where Rose now was standing completely unshielded, cried _"EXTERMINATE"_ while shooting the beam right into her chest, making her collapse inside with doors closed shut millisecond later and the TARDIS dematerializing before the Doctor's very eyes.

* * *

The Doctor stood there motionless, his mouth half open, expression blank. Everything what just happened, took place for only three seconds max, for human measurements, but the Time Lord could repeat the events over and over again in his head, making it slow down each time as he remembered.

He could remember every slight movement. Every last breath or thought forming its way on her face. He could remember her desperate expression pointed right at him, wanting to tell him something, just before her face twisted into shock and agony.

He extended his hand slowly into the air where he could still feel the energy of the universe present seconds ago. He didn't stand there for long. Quickly enough, his legs gave out and he was kneeling in front of the place where his home and Rose just stood. He placed his hands on the ground, wanting to feel them, trying to convince himself that this is all just a horrible nightmare and he just had to extend his hand to feel the both of them here safe and sound.

But there was nothing.

There was nothing there anymore. Even the last bits of the universe energy were fading away. It was just a cold ground. Everything dear to him just faded away, together with Rose's life.

* * *

The Doctor was unmoving. He didn't feel like moving at all. And as he blocked all the background sounds out, whether it was done consciously or not, he just stayed there, kneeling besides thin air.

Somewhere in the deep distance of his mind he could barely grasp something shouting at him, making orders to him. Something like _"The-Doctor-Will-Stand-Stand."_

It sounded funny. All that buzzing. Who could make such a sound. He didn't respond to any of it. However, he was brought back to life by a nudge on his shoulder. He looked up and then a realisation hit him.

"You killed her." He looked at the Dalek in front of him, at first in disbelief but steadily his expression started to grow more dark.

"I was sending her home and you just killed her!" He didn't even know how or from where, but he felt his legs regain their strength as he stood face to face with the Dalek.

"SHE-WAS-NOT-NECESSARY!" it announced, shaking.

"Don't you dare say that!" His voice deadly. He was burning with fury, the Oncoming Storm, and who knows what he would have done if a hundred more movements wouldn't have disturbed his vision.

The army of Daleks made their way to the Doctor, moving dangerously from all sides, cornering the Doctor in the middle. He could see from the corner of his eyes that the Delta Wave was ready, but somehow he didn't feel like moving. Only Jack's voice coming out of the the radio speaker took his attention for a slight moment.

"Doctor? Can you hear me? I am not sure, but I think they may have already moved to floor 500. I'm cornered and it's just about time. But I just wanted to say one last thing." Jack took a deep breath. "Jimbo is gone. He passed away in my arms, Doc. It was already his time. He volunteered to come with me knowing that. He wished to die with honours."

With Jack's words hitting the Doctor's consciousness, he made a hopeless laugh sound.

"YOU-WILL-BE-EXTERMINATED!" the emperor on the screen announced.

"Maybe it is time," the Doctor agreed softly.

"Doctor? What are you saying? What about Rose? Rose, can you hear me?" Jack questioned him in a frantic voice.

"She's gone," the Doctor said faintly, his expression blank again.

"Wh-" Jack began, but he was cut short. "They killed her."

There was a silence of a few seconds before the Doctor continued in a low monotone voice. "I sent her into the TARDIS, to bring her safely home, and instead I'm brining her family her corpse."

The Doctor could hear Jack's breath hitch after the last sentence, and some cursing going on, growing into violent outrage at the Daleks in front of him, when everything was silenced by a loud - _"EXTERMINATE"._

The Doctor just closed his eyes and held his hands up to the sides. Awaiting for his fate.

* * *

Everything happened in a flash of a second. Rose still couldn't fully understand what was going on. She was dying, wasn't she? She was hit by the Dalek and now just laying still inside the console room, awaiting death.

It was surprising that she was still breathing, even if it was shallow and she couldn't move her body at all. One may count it as sheer luck, but she knew better. It was just one more curse by the universe. To let her feel how her own life fades away. To let her remember the Doctor watching her as she was shot. Now she has really done it. She will be the destroyer of his, in the most cruel way possible.

Her eyelids were getting heaver and heaver. It was hard to keep them open, so she didn't even bother to force herself anymore. She just waited for darkness to consume her. And moments later it did.

* * *

Rose felt herself slowly regain conciousness. At first her body was still and unmoving, but by each second she felt her fingers, hands and legs come back to life. Now was the time to open up her eyes to see what situation was she in.

Her eyelids fluttered slightly, as they steadily worked their way to open up. Rose found herself surrounded by some sort of yellow light. She couldn't properly see what it was yet, but she only saw light.

Her vision started to become more and more focused and she could almost identify her surroundings. Or so she thought. But she couldn't, because nothing made sense of what she was seeing. She closed her eyes again. Took a few deep breaths. And shot her eyes open.

Her mouth fell open in bewilderment. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. What she saw, that bright yellow light, was none other than the light bulb from her workshop basement. And the creatures making their way towards her, were the same Living Plastic of 2005. _Just once more? _

* * *

She couldn't believe it. Just couldn't. She was dying inside the TARDIS and now what? She is back again in 2005? _Is that what was meant to happen?_ Each time she dies, she just pops up at Henrik's and gets to redo her timeline all over again? Over and over, the never ending cycle.

She wanted to shout at someone. Why must it happen to her? Not being able to tell her Doctor about everything she has experienced was bad enough. But twice? She wasn't sure she could handle that. No. She could, she would do anything if it meant for her to be with the Doctor. But she was not so sure the Doctor himself would keep her. She would surely mess things up this time.

While Rose was deep in her thoughts, the Living Plastic were dangerously moving towards her. Just a few inches and she is going to get strangled by them.

But well, she didn't really care much. At the worst - she dies. And then gets to repeat it once more. So who cares, really? She just wanted to think now. Of course, she would prefer to do that alone, not while being cornered to the cold wall and awaiting her death, but the universe doesn't seem to be that friendly. In fact, it just keeps messing up with her.

And then, happened what had to happen. She felt a familiar hand take hers into his, as the words echoed inside her head. "Run."

And she did run, but she didn't look at the man in front. She had her eyes half closed, locking them on the ground. She couldn't see him. It was just too much. Not now. Not yet.

The man took her into the lift and she placed herself in the corner, with her eyes closed, never making a peek.

She could hear how the plastic hand tried to make its way inside, while being stuck in between.

"Oh, hello there!" the man exclaimed. "Waving, are we? Okay, keep it up." It seemed like he was having a conversation with the hand. "That's interesting, you could probably go for the Olympics! If you think about it, I might even be able to get you there. But no no no. On other hand, that would not be a good idea. You would mess things up, wouldn't you?" he cried.

The hand must have nearly opened the lift, because the man decided to take some action. "Okay, that's about enough. Now come here." He was pulling the hand with all his might. "Just just just a bit more... and one and two and bam" He giggled. "There you are. Safely pulled out. Brr. Glad I'm not the one at the receiving end this time. Not a good feeling when your hand gets severed, isn't that right?" He seemed to ask someone.

"Oi. Rose Tyler. Fat lot of good you were. I had to do all the work with the hand by myself. What are you up to with your eyes closed shut?"

Her eyes shot open. Her mouth fell open milliseconds later. "Wha-"

"The hand, see?" He waved it. "Oh, those old memories just come rushing RIGHT at me." He began to talk with enthusiasm, more so than the previous time." My poor little hand." He waved his fingers. "But this fighting hand is brilliant! Roar! And everyone runs away." He beamed at her.

"Bu-...you-...wha-.." Rose shuttered, pointing at him.

"But. You. What. Okay, come on, what's more? Come on, say it!" He urged her, watching her expectedly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rose exhaled.

"Oh." His expression twisted to an unhappy one. "Not happy to see me?" He looked at her with puppy eyes. Rose just looked at him with horror.

"Aww. And here I thought I would get a warm welcome. Never gonna happen is it? Okay okay. Don't say anything. You are confused, right? You are. Weeeell, obviously, it is kinda strange. But what isn't in this day and time?" He stopped to consider. "Blimey, I talk like an old senile man. But maybe I am!? No no no, I'm not. Young young. Yeh. Good. Okay!" He cleared his throat. "Right then, what do you want to know?"

Rose was stuck into shock. Just when she thought the world couldn't get any weirder it made sure to prove her wrong! The Doctor being in the Henrik's together with her again was wrong enough, but _Her_ Doctor being here? The him looking all foxy and all, as Cassandra stated, in his pinstripes suit and converses? And lets not forget the great hair. _He really did have great hair. Oh, boll._ She felt her head spin.

"How come you are here?" she asked. "It is 2005, isn't it?" she looked at the Doctor who was just grinning all happily at her.

"Oh it is!" he exclaimed "I would say it is March 26th of 2005 and around 7 pm, 23 minutes and 43, 44 seconds."

"Bu-..." Rose shook her head in disbelief. "But how are _you_ here? I only met you, the this you" She pointed at him with her palm. "At Christmas!"

"You remember," he said in a sweet voice.

"Of course I do!" Rose cried.

"That's great then." He smiled at her tenderly. "You shall meet me very soon," he said in a low soft voice.

"What? But I'm meeting you like about _now_." She laughed nervously.

"No." His voice firm. "This is not real."

And the next second, the darkness consumed Rose Tyler once again.

* * *

Rose felt power. Great power consuming her and showing her its capabilities. The golden warm light fulfilled her mind. It was burning. Burning like the sun. And she could see and hear everything. Even with her eyes closed.

In a flash she opened her eyes, just at the time when the TARDIS doors opened up for her. She saw how her Doctor watched her in utter disbelief. Millions types of emotions ran through his face - relief, confusion, pride, worry, pain, care. He fell backwards as he watched her. She was like the Goddess in his eyes. She found her way back to him, and now was one with his magnificent ship.

The light surrounding her, flew her a few meters towards the Doctor. Like she didn't weight anything at all.

"What have you done?" The Doctor looked at her wide-eyed.

_"I looked into the Tardis, and the Tardis looked into me." H_er voice echoed inside the room like it was not of this Universe.

"You looked into the Time Vortex. Rose, no one's meant to see that." His voice and face was filled with worry for his dear human.

"This is the Abomination!" the emperor of the Daleks stated.

"Exterminate!" One of the Daleks shot a beam towards Rose, but the ray was stopped by Rose's single hand. As her eyes started to glow into golden light, she send the beam back to where it come from.

_"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words, I scatter them in time and space."_ She gestured her hand towards the sign of Bad Wolf Corporation, and they flew away "_A message to lead myself to you."_

"Rose, you've got to stop this. You've got to stop this _now_." He looked at her frantically._ He just got her back, he couldn't lose her again._ "You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're going to burn." He tried to reason with her. She had to understand. _He wouldn't lose her again. _

_"I want you safe."_ Rose looked at the man she loved from all her heart, through time and space, with tender eyes as she spoke the words. "_My Doctor. Protected from the false god."_

"You cannot hurt me. I am immortal," emperor exclaimed.

_"You are tiny."_ Rose's voice was that of the Higher Being. _"I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence, and I divide them._" Her eyes began to glow again as she disintegrated the Dalek gently, making it disappear into the golden dust.

_"Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies."_ Little by little every single Dalek started to disintegrate into the golden gentle dust. _"The Time War ends." _

"I will not die." The emperor tried to resist. "I cannot die!" But the power was too much for him. His spaceship disappeared into dust together with him inside it. Like it never was.

Everything disappeared. The threat, the Daleks, the Time War, even death.

"Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go," the Doctor pleaded her. _He wanted her safe._

_"How can I let go of this? I bring life." _

Somewhere on the other side of the game station, Jack breathed air again.

"But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!"

_"But I can."_ Rose just told him simply. Because life was just one small part of her power. And the Doctor understood it from her eyes. He couldn't say anything back.

"_The sun and the moon, the day and night. But why do they hurt?"_ Her voice sounded faint at the end. It was the second time for her to experience this power, but it still hurt so much.

"The power's going to kill you and it's all my fault." The Doctor couldn't bare the pain he was feeling. He was loosing her again. And both times, all because of him.

_"You are not at fault. The things that must end, will end, and the new beginnings will start. My Doctor. You are going to live again."_ She smiled at him gently. Her expression changed a bit, when she felt pain consume her. _"My head."_

The Doctor stood up to stand next to her. "Come here." He told her gently.

_"It's killing me."_ She smiled at him sadly.

"I think you need a Doctor." With these words the Doctor placed his lips gently on hers, giving her a tender kiss that of a whole time and space, while transfering the deadly power straight to himself. _He wouldn't let her perish._

From all that power Rose fainted in his arms. He placed her down on the ground with so much tenderness, like she was made of glass and could shatter any minute. _He wanted her safe, and he will make sure of it._

His eyes were shinning gold. The one and only God of the universe. The Last of the Time Lords. But he couldn't keep the power. He chosen to put it back to its rightful place. He exhaled the energy back into the TARDIS. It slowly flowing inside. When he was done, he only felt free. He didn't have any regrets.

He bent down to his beloved human to stroke her face gently, before taking her into his both hands and returning home - to the TARDIS.

* * *

Rose fluttered her eyes open. Which seemed to become a hourly routine to her by now. As she absorbed the view ahead. She was back in the TARDIS. The Doctor has done it again. _She killed him again. _But there was also a new sensation she felt. Something she didn't feel the previous time. She felt life. She felt a steady heartbeat which was not hers.

She sat up slowly, turning to face the Doctor, who was looking seriously at the controls.

"Doctor," Rose said softly.

"You are awake." He smiled at her, she smiled back at him sadly. He saw how his left arm began to glow. "Rose Tyler." He chuckled. "I was going take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses." He laughed, Rose just smiled at him fondly. "Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny."

"We will go there," Rose said softly.

"Maybe you will, and maybe I will," he said in a light voice. "But not like this." He smiled sadly at her.

"As long as it is you and me." Rose looked at him with reassurance. And for a moment, the Doctor didn't feel all that scared about what was coming.

"I'm going to change, Rose. I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that," he sang. "Every cell in my body's dying," he said seriously.

"I'm sorry." She couldn't suppress the sob. The Doctor looked at her in bewilderment. "No. Don't be. I chosen this. Except...this process is a bit dodgy. You never know what you're going to end up with. Gah."

The Doctor clutched his stomach as a golden light exploded inside him.

"Doctor!" Rose ran to him.

"Stay away!" he warned her.

"Doctor." Rose could only call out for him with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Time Lords have this little trick, it's sort of a way of cheating death. Except it means I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go-"

"Don't say that." Rose shook her head. She didn't want it to end like this.

"Rose," he repeated softly. "Before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic." He looked at her proudly. "Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I." They smiled at each other sadly and this was it. Her last chance. _So she made it._

She walked over to him, the Doctor looking at her with worry, to not to hurt her. She placed her one hand on his chest, another on his shoulder, as she kissed him on his cheek tenderly, saying it all she could with this one last touch. "Thank you," she whispered, before backing away.

And then, he exploded. His both arms, legs, head - everything disappeared into the golden light. A new face replaced her Doctor. With the one she thought she would never see again. Be it a year ago on that fateful beach or today, just moments ago.

_She was back to him. And he was back to her._

"Hello." He looked lost. She couldn't help but grin at that. "Okay. Ooo." He stopped mid-sentence. "New teeth," he stated faintly. "That's weird. So, where was I? Oh, that's right. Barcelona." And with that he gave her one of his gorgeous grins, making Rose grin all the more.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**A/N: Yep, it is long. In fact, it is the longest so far. 7k+! Wow, it is my record. Lol. **

**Thank you thank you for reviewing the previous one! I know, it was a little bit sloppy. But I hope this one will make up for that :P **


	15. Christmas Invasion

**I don't know exactly how or if it will be of any good, but this episode will be split into two. Because Now, I'm only somewhere half of the episode. And already so much written. Guessing because I'm writing not only Rose's POV at this. Adding many others too. **

**And some more news. I'm going to have a small trip. Not exactly sure for how long. Might be 5 days. And I was told I could use laptop, but I'm doubting it. But if I could, but wouldn't have the internet access, then I will try to write a few chapters...**

* * *

Not even a minute after his regeneration, the Doctor was already out and about the console, flicking switches, checking the monitor.

"6 PM... Tuesday..." He began talking while turning a knob.

Rose just chuckled silently.

"October... 5006... " He had his all focus on the monitor. "On the way to Barcelona!" Then he straightened up, moved a bit away from the console and turned to face Rose, grinning as if extremely pleased with himself.

Rose was biting her quivering lip while standing a bit further away from the Doctor, unmoving.

"Now then... what do I look like?" he asked, beaming.

Rose gulped and was about to say something, when he held up a hand to hush her.

"No, no no, no no no no no no no." He was pointing a finger at her. "No. Don't tell me."

Rose snorted at him, her eyes starting to become blurry again, but was left unnoticed, seeing as he was too immersed into inspecting himself.

"Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands..." He tested his wrist, circling it.

"Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle," he stated, when his hand flew to his hair.

"Hair!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm not bald!" Rose looked at him fondly.

"Oh, Oh! Big hair!" The Doctor was still checking his hair. _Indeed, big, gorgeous hair. _Then he spotted his sideburns.

"Sideburns, I've got sideburns!" He sounded delighted at that discovery. Rose couldn't help chuckling. "Or really bad skin," he said, disappointed. "Little bit thinner..." He drummed his stomach.

"That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it." He told her. _I'm sure you will. _

"I... have got... a _mole_." He looked at her meaningfully. Rose nodded in understanding. "I can feel it. Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole."

"That's all right," he continued. "Love the mole." Rose shook her head, smiling.

When he was done with his little investigation of his new body, he stood up straight, grinning at her. "Go on then, tell me." Waiting expectedly. "What do you think?"

Rose burst out in tears of happiness. As much as the situation was nowhere near where she wanted it to be, but just by seeing him in front of her again, not in some sort of dream, but the real him, made her heart flutter. _She missed him._ She finally felt getting closer to the him, with whom she got separated from. She couldn't stop her tears coming out. It was happiness. But the Doctor seemed to notice only tears.

"Oh. That bad, eh?" The Doctor began to worry, picking on his ear. "That's a bit...sad. I guess."

But he didn't have much time to wonder, because soon he found himself in a very tight embrace of Rose Tyler. He stayed as a stone for a few moments. _Certainly didn't expect this reaction._

"R-Rose?" he sputtered, momentarily beyond words.

"You're here," Rose exhaled softly, while nuzzling into his shoulder. _It felt so right._ _Being close to him._

He giggled nervously. "'Course I am!" He placed his arms around her, hugging her back and patting slightly on her back.

After a while he broke off the embrace, taking her hand into his and brining her to the console. "Now then, off to another adventure?" He grinned at her. "Same as always, since the day one in that cellar filled with window dummies." He came to consider. "Oh, such a long time ago." Rose chuckled.

"And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running... One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives!" He began walking backwards while having her both hands into his and started hopping.

Rose started laughing out loud. "You are mad."

"Oh, come on. Hop with me. Hop hop." He urged her while grinning madly, making Rose laugh all the more.

He suddenly stopped into his tracks, like he had just realised a grave truth. "You are not gonna leave now, are you?" He looked at her with masked-but-still-worried expression in his eyes.

Rose's expression soon mirrored his. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" he said quickly. "But...your choice...if you want to go home.." He looked down at their joined hands.

Rose squeezed his hands slightly. "Yeh, I want to go home," she said softly and the Doctor felt a sharp stab somewhere inside him. He looked at her expecting to see... well, any expression but what he saw. Rose was just grinning at him widely.

"Wha-" he began, taken aback.

"Yeh, I want to go home, but not to leave. Just for a short visit." She laughed.

"Oh. Oh, that's alright then." His voice and face clearly sighing in relief and a grin back on his face.

He gently unwrapped their hands and stood near the console again, flipping switches.

"Cancel Barcelona. Change to... London... the Powell Estate... ah... let's say the 24th of December." He looked back at her, grinning. "Consider it a Christmas present."

"Oh, I love this present." Rose told him softly, beaming.

"Yeh?"

"Yeh."

The console was steadily moving and pumping, waiting for its landing.

"So! Back to your mum... it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast..." he said in a hurried voice. "No, Christmas! Turkey!" he exclaimed. "Although... " He considered. "Having met your mother... nut loaf would be more appropriate," he muttered.

"Shut up." She chided him, while slapping him lightly on his arm.

"But it _is_ true!" He defended himself, his smile back on his face seconds later.

"Come to think of it, I was a bit worried about your reaction to the change..." He trailed off. "But as expected! I mean... As always unexpected!" he exclaimed. "Never gain the reaction of Rose Tyler as you expect." They both laughed. "But good thing I only changed, I didn't-wahsh." He twisted his face in pain.

_Oh, no. _

It seemed to end in a few seconds and he straightened up himself.

"Doctor?" Rose began to move towards him.

"I said- wufsh." Another wave.

"Doctor!" Now she was standing near him, holding him steady.

"Uh ho." A golden piece of Time Vortex issued from the Doctor's mouth.

"Doctor." Rose's voice worried.

"Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all," he said, before another wave hit him and he nearly fell down on the ground, his head down. Luckily, Rose managed to hold him up.

"Let's go back and find Jack. He could help us," Rose suggested gently.

"Gah, he's busy!" He dismissed her while leaning on the console. "He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth!"

Rose let go of him. "Yeh? Alright. Where is Jimbo then?" she asked seriously.

"That fellow is together with Jack."

Rose's face hardened. "I don't believe any of that," she stated, her voice firm.

The Doctor looked up at her like a kicked puppy. "Bu-...they are..." he said faintly. Rose's face not softening up. "Gah." Another wave. He breathed heavily. Suddenly a lever on the console caught his eye.

"I haven't used this one in years." He flicked it and the TARDIS began to shudder violently, both of them were nearly knocked to their feet.

"Don't kill us," Rose exhaled.

"I need a bit of speed! That's it!" He began to turn more knobs on, running about crazily.

Rose tried to maintain a more secure grip on the console, but she was slipping.

"My beautiful ship! Come on, faster!" He turned more knobs."That's a girl!" he exclaimed proudly.

TARDIS started to shake some more.

"Faster! Want to break the time limit?!" the Doctor suggested.

"Just don't hurt the TARDIS." Rose chided him.

" Ah, ... let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" he shouted out madly.

Suddenly he seemed to calm down for a second, looking her in the eyes.

"The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself." He looked at her apologizing. Soon his face twisted in pain. "Ah, my head... "

"It's alright." Rose told him softly and began inching towards him.

"Faster!" He violently sprang up into a standing position again, his voice back to being crazy." Let's open those engines!"

A bell started to ring in the console room, announcing the emergency. The TARDIS was shaking horribly and Rose's grip on the console was loosening so she decided to hold onto something more secure.

"We're gonna crash-" He stiffened for a bit. "Wha-what are you doing, Rose?" he shuttered, as he felt her arms around his waist.

"Holding on something more secure!" Rose yelled out through the bell.

"Oh. Oh, well, alright then." His voice back to crazy. "Let's crash!" He grinned manically. Rose laughed nervously in his back.

* * *

Somewhere outside the Powell Estate Mickey and Jackie were pacing about, after hearing the familiar whooshing sound.

"Well, where is it then?" Jackie started to get anxious.

Before long, TARDIS came out of the vortex in mid air and now was bouncing off one block of flats, a second and a third. Mickey and Jackie had to dodge the TARDIS as she flew over their heads. After avoiding a post office van, finally crashing into a set of waste bins.

Doctor was first to come out. He peeked his head out the doors and was delighted to see the familiar scenery. "Here we are then, London. Earth. The Solar System. We did it," he exclaimed as he came out of the TARDIS. Then he spotted two shocked faces looking at him.

"Jackie. Mickey. Blimey! No, no, no, no, hold on." He began walking backwards. "Wait there. I've got something to say." He made a circle around them. " There was something I had to tell you, something important." He was creating a serious atmosphere. "What was it? No, hold on, hold on." He literally was holding on on the two of them, hands on their shoulders. "Hold on, shush, shush, shush, shush. Oh! I know!" he exclaimed, making the two jump in surprise. His face formed into a grin. "Merry Christmas!" he exhaled and fainted.

Rose stepped out the TARDIS moments later, failing to catch him as the Doctor was already on the ground. She ran towards him to cup his face into her hands.

"Who's this one?" Jackie was first to ask.

"That's the Doctor," Rose said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean, that's the Doctor? Doctor who?" Jackie asked in bewilderment.

* * *

After joining their hands, the three of them managed to safely transport the Doctor back at Powell Estate, change him into pyjamas and lay him on the bed. Rose was already sitting on the edge of the bed, watching over him, when Jackie came in with a stethoscope.

"Here we go. Tina the cleaner's got this lodger, a medical student, and she was fast asleep, so I just took it. Though I still say we should take him to hospital," Jackie whispered.

"We can't." Rose tried to make her mother understand the seriousness of it all. "They'd lock him up. They'd dissect him. One bottle of his blood could change the future of the human race." Jackie began to say something, but Rose just hushed her.

Rose took the stethoscope in position and began listening to the Doctor's hearts.

"Both working," she said softly, sighing in relief.

"What do you mean, both?" Jackie asked, confused.

"Well, he's got two hearts," Rose stated nonchalantly, grinning at her mother.

"Oh, don't be stupid." Jackie thought she was playing with her.

"He has," Rose confirmed. After placing the stethoscope on the bed table, she started to play with the blanket covering the Doctor, readjusting it and making sure he was comfortable.

"Anything else he's got two of?" Jackie glanced him over, watching her daughter suspiciously at the same time too.

"Just leave him alone, mum." Rose chided her mother. "Can you make some tea though?" she asked gently.

"Alright. Will be back soon." And with that Jackie left the two of them.

Moments later, the Doctor exhaled some more of the TARDIS's golden energy. Rose placed the back of her hand on his cheek and rubbed it tenderly. "You're going to be alright soon," she whispered.

"Rose?" Jackie's voice could be heard from the kitchen. Rose sighed.

_The interrogation time._

She slowly lifted herself up from the bed, making sure to not wake the person laying there up, and left the room to meet Jackie pacing inside the kitchen. After spotting her daughter enter, she pulled her inside and closed the doors.

"How can he go changing his face? Is that a different face or is he a different person?"

"He died, mum. He had to change every cell in his body to stay alive."

"What do you mean he died and now is alive!?" Jackie was clearly confused.

Rose sighed. _Oh, this is gonna be difficult._ "It's some sort of trick, Time Lords use to cheat death," Rose began slowly, Jackie narrowing her eyes. "He died. That previous body he was in died. And then he...changed. And now he became this new him." Rose pointed towards the door nonchalantly.

"Is he a different person now then?" Jackie asked.

"No. Well, yeh." Rose considered.

"So which is it?" Jackie was getting impatient.

"His face and personality, habits that sort of thing changed, but underneath he is still the same. He always will be same." Jackie began to protest. "It's like when your habits change from childhood to teenage and so on."

"Are you saying he is a teenager now?"

"No! Mum. That was not the point...ah." Rose was lost, not knowing how to make her understand. "The big question is where'd you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?" she asked lightly.

"Howard's been staying over," Jackie said simply.

"And how long's that been going on?" Rose asked.

"A month or so," Jackie began. "First of all, he starts delivering to the door and I thought, that's odd." Rose spotted Harriet on the telly while Jackie was still on about Howard. "Next thing you know, it's a bag of oranges-"

"Is that Harriet Jones?" Rose walked up to the telly.

Jackie walked up next to her. "She's Prime Minister now. I'm eighteen quid a week better off. They're calling it Britain's Golden Age." Rose watched her with a smile. If the Doctor managed to wake up sooner, maybe Harriet wouldn't have to resort to violence against the Sycorax.

"I keep on saying my Rose has met her," Jackie said softly.

"Did more than that. Stopped World War Three with her. Harriet Jones..." Rose trailed of in nostalgia, when she remembered what she had to do. "Tea!" she exclaimed, looking at her mother.

"Did you make it?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart. We don't have any more tea." Jackie began apologizing. Then added, when she saw her daughter's face shadow. "But I could make some coffee," she offered.

"We don't have_ tea_?" Rose asked her in bewilderment.

"Yeh, we don't. Ran out. You know." Jackie shrugged.

"How could we not have tea? We always have tea," Rose said in disbelief.

"Oh, excuse me, but things do tend to run out sometimes," Jackie said, starting to feel a bit annoyed.

Rose was pacing about the room, getting nervous. "Alright then. Just gotta buy more then." She laughed nervously, remembering what is awaiting hers in the street.

"Oh, save it. Is changing his face made his preferences so picky too?" Jackie started in an accusing voice. "He should be thankful I'm letting him stay here. Coffee will do for him." Jackie began to walk off.

"No. He needs tea," Rose said in a slightly bit raised voice.

"Oh, suit yourselves then. Go fetch Mickey with you." She called out from the kitchen.

"No way out of it I guess then," Rose muttered, before leaving the flat.

* * *

It was already dark when Mickey and Rose made their way to the shopping district.

"So what do you need? Twenty quid?" Mickey asked.

"Do you mind? I'll pay you back," Rose said, not fully paying attention, as she was frantically looking around.

Mickey said something like. "Call it a Christmas present." But was left without a response, when Rose heard a familiar music echoing somewhere in the crowd. "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". _Yep, it was definitely that one._ Rose felt a cold shiver. They didn't have much time. Once the crowd starts running around, they doubt the shops will be working. They had to move fast.

"Rose?" Mickey waved a hand in front of her face. "You here? Oh, Just let it be ordinary Christmas for once. Can you do that? Just for a bit. You and me and Christmas. No Doctor, no bog monsters, no life or death."

"Sorry, Mickey. Could you, please, buy me some tea from the shop?" she said absentmindedly, slowing down her pace, when she spotted the brass band dressed in Santa robes.

"What? Did you even hear what I said?"

"Not now, sorry, Mickey. We need that tea. And _now,_" she said in a half-whisper but her voice firm, as she looked back at him.

"Okay. What's is going on?" Mickey asked slightly nervous.

Rose looked around frantically, just a few more people and the band will spot them. She dragged Mickey on the side, blending in with the crowd. "That band of Santa are alien. I'll go distract them while you get the tea."

"Wait a minute. What? Them, alien? And if they are, why would I leave you for a tea?" Mickey was asking confused.

"Please, Mickey. No time for this. The Doctor needs that tea." She pleaded him.

"Again the Doctor," Mickey muttered.

"Mickey!" Rose hissed. "He won't wake up without it, and if he won't we all gonna die. So hurry up, and run back home fast after you get it." Rose pushed him to go. Mickey still was trying to back down, but after Rose mouthed one more "go", he ran towards the tea shop.

Now being left alone Rose made her way towards the Santa, to let them spot her. After they did, she started moving away, away from the crowd towards the next street, where she knew was a park. At first the band slowly followed her, but moments later they lowered their musical instruments/weapons in disguise and a trombone one started aiming at her to shoot.

"Get down!" Rose shouted out a warning to the people around. A huge blast of fire emitted out of the instrument and Rose started to run. Everyone started to panic and run about. Rose just hoped Mickey made it in time to get the tea as she was nearing the park. She looked behind her shoulder to see two of the Santas following her. _That means two were missing. Oh, no. Mickey!_

She was running in full speed, making turns and more turns until the park was visible in her eyes. She got her phone out to call Mickey. After a few buzzes he answered.

"Rose? Rose? Where are you? Those Santas started following me, but I'm going back by the taxi now. How are you?"

"Did you get the tea, Mickey?" Rose asked frantically.

"Are you alright though?" Mickey pestered.

"The TEA!" Rose yelled out.

"I got it I got it. So whe-" he began, but Rose interrupted.

"And be careful of the Christmas decorations!" she warned, as she hang up.

She had already reached the park and was now running around the trees. She could see from behind her shoulders that Santas were a slightly bit behind. Just enough time to do this. And the next moment she started climbing on one of the trees. She flung herself up, higher and higher until she was almost at the peak of it, hidden behind the leaves.

Before long, she could spot the two Santas walking about on the ground. She held her breath in. If they spotted her, her tree would be demolished in seconds. She prayed the Doctor would wake up before that.

* * *

Inside the Powell Estate, Jackie was casually walking around the room, talking on the phone. Seconds later Mickey burst out the doors.

"Get off the phone, Jackie."

"It's only Bev. She says hello," Jackie said, but soon her hands were empty, as Mickey turned the phone off.

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Mickey?" She stood facing him, her hands on her hips.

"No time, Jackie. There is alien invasion going on here," he said frantically.

"A what?" Jackie asked, frowning.

"Here." He thrust the tea pockets in her hands. "Make some tea for the Doctor."

"Again with the tea!?" Jackie was now shouting. "No bloody hell I'm making him tea now."

"Jackie!" Mickey then spotted the tree. "Jackie, did you have this tree before?"

"Well there was a ring at the door, and there it was! Must be Rose." Jackie shrugged.

"Oh, God." Mickey started to panic.

"What's the big deal about the Christmas tree-" Jackie began, when the lights of the tree lit up by itself and it started to play Jingle Bells.

"Oh boy." Mickey watched in horror as the tree started to rotate in different directions, creating a strong wind. Jackie started to yell.

"Jackie, take hot water fast, and make tea!" Mickey instructed her as he picked up the chair to fend it off.

"What is wrong with you all and the tea!?"

"Just do it!" Mickey commanded.

The tree was starting to move forwards, chopping through a coffee table. The chair was already half done.

"Mickey!" Jackie called out from the bedroom. "Leave it! Get out! Get out!"

Mickey and Jackie both went inside the room where the Doctor was staying. They pulled the wardrobe across the door.

"What is going on here?" Jackie was asking frantically. "And where is Rose? Didn't you go with her?"

"She's trapped somewhere with Santas," Mickey replied in a hurry while holding onto the wardrobe.

"Trapped? And you just left her there?" Jackie was already preparing for her famous slaps.

They could hear the tree break the glass window doors as it was nearing their room. "She was distracting them while I had to get the tea, Jackie."

"Oh for-" Jackie began, when the tree smashed through the doors.

"I'm going to get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie cried. "And who's going to help Rose now?!" She shouted out.

In a split of a second, the Doctor sat up on the bed, his sonic in his hand (for some reason), as he pointed it at the tree - it exploded. Mickey and Jackie sighed in relief.

"Remote control. But who's controlling it?" the Doctor said while getting out of the bed.

Dressing gown on, the Doctor lead the way out. Down on the ground, two Santas were gazing up, one holding a radio controller.

"That's them. What are they?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor aimed the screwdriver at them and the Santa backed away. Then they beamed away in the air.

"They've just gone," Mickey exhaled in disbelief. "What kind of rubbish were they?" He laughed. "I mean, no offence, but they're not much cop if a sonic screwdriver's going to scare them off."

"Pilot fish," the Doctor stated.

"What?" Jackie asked.

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor asked, facing the two of them.

"I don't know," Mickey started. "We got separated at the shopping district. Two more Santas were following us, but she told me to come back to you fast to wake you up-" He was interrupted by another wave of pain of the Doctor's.

"What's wrong?" Jackie asked in a concerned voice, making her way to him, to hold him steady.

"You woke me up too soon," the Doctor answered in a shaky pained voice. "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy." He exhaled some of the golden energy.

"You see? The pilot fish could smell it a million miles away. So they eliminate the defence, that's you lot, and they carry me off. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of ow!" He was thrown on the other side by the pain.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Jackie was kneeling besides him.

"My head!" the Doctor exclaimed in pain. "I'm having a neuron implosion," he stated hurriedly through his heavy breathing. " I need -" he began, but Jackie was talking over him.

"What do you need?"

"I need-" he began again.

"Say it. Tell me, tell me, tell me." Jackie never stopping.

"I need -" One more time.

"Painkillers?"

"I need -" And again.

"Do you need aspirin?"

"I need " Over and over.

"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh, I don't know, Pepto-Bismol?"

"I need -" The Doctor was looking at her with mouth and eyes wide.

"Is it food? Something simple. Bowl of soup. A nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?"

"I need you to shut up," finally the Doctor exhaled.

"Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?" Jackie said sarcastically. Another wave of pain sent him towards the wall again. Jackie and Mickey holding him steady.

"We haven't got much time. If there's pilot fish, then." He was breathing heavily. "Rose..." He felt something in his pockets. "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?" He held the green apple out, asking casually about it.

"Oh, that's Howard's. Sorry," Jackie said softly.

"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?" the Doctor asked in disbelief.

"He gets hungry," she said.

"Argh!" Another wave. "Brain collapsing." The Doctor was now on the ground. "Rose. Argh." Another wave.

"Rose said to give you tea, will that help?" Mickey said in a hurried voice.

"Tea!" The Doctor beamed happily as much as his current situation of pain could let him. "Yeh yeh yeh, give me some of that. Argh. huff huff. The pilot fish." He took Jackie's hand. "The pilot fish mean-" He was looking at her frantically. " That something... something, something is coming," he exhaled some more deep breaths. "Rose." Was his last word when he passed out.

* * *

Once he was carried back inside the room, Jackie was rushing about making a whole set of tea mugs placed about the room.

"Are they hot enough?" Mickey asked.

"How should I know?" Jackie shot back. "But let me tell you, if he doesn't wake up any minute now I'm going to shove that bloody tea into his mouth together with the mug itself."

"That might help," Mickey muttered.

"Oh, dear. What's happened to Rose? Do we even know where she is? Is she safe?" Jackie began to cry. Mickey patted her back.

"She will be alright, Jackie. She travelled with him." He pointed at the Doctor like he was a thing. "Sure she's got some training."

"When my daughter is who knows where, he is just sleeping there!" She shouted out. "Oh, I can't wait anymore. Am gonna go search for her." Jackie began to walk off, but Mickey stopped her.

"You can't. You may just attract more attention. Let's just wait," Mickey suggested lightly.

"Oh you must be kidding me, if you expect me to wait!" And the next moment she walked over the bed table, took a mug into her hand, another picked the Doctor's head up, and before Mickey could utter even one word, she poured the hot tea inside the Doctor's mouth.

Seconds later the Doctor's eyes shot open as he sat up. "HOTph" he exclaimed as he burnt his tongue. "Whad dit ya do thad fo?" He talked with his tongue out.

"Go save my daughter!" Jackie shouted at him.

"Rose!" The Doctor seemed to wake up from his dream. "Time time time time. What time is it?" Mickey began to say something. "No shush shush shush shush." He pointed a finger at him. "12, 1,2...5! Blimey, it's already 5 in the morning!" He suddenly turned his head to face Mickey. "How long was I out?"

"A-about 3 hours," Mickey shuttered.

"3 hours..." The Doctor's face paled. "Phone phone...I need a phone! Jackie!" He called out for her making her jump. "Give me the phone!"

Seconds later the Doctor was ringing Rose up. After a few tries she picked up. "Rose? Rose, where are you? I'm coming to get you."

_"On the tree,"_ she whispered faintly.

"A what?" the Doctor asked, frowning in confusion.

_"A tree!"_ Rose said in a louder voice. _"Uh oh."_ When she saw the Santas looking at her.

"Rose? What tree? Where is that tree?" the Doctor was asking her frantically.

_"Who-ah!"_ Rose yelled out on the phone as Santas began to shake the tree, starting to aim to fire. _"Don't shoot, don't shoot!"_ Rose called out for them in defence.

"Rose! What's going on!? What tree?"

More shaking of the tree and Rose lost her balance on the phone, it was slowly going down through the leaves. _"IN THE PARK!"_ She yelled out before the signal was cut off, phone scattering in pieces.

"Rose? Hello? ROSE!?" The Doctor was calling for her on the phone.

"What's the matter? Where is she?" Jackie was asking.

"The park the par the park..." The Doctor was muttering. "The park!" he exclaimed. "Where is the nearest park from where you two got separated?" the Doctor asked Mickey with his eyes frantic.

"Uh...I'm not sure."

"Think, Mickey, think!" He was yelling at him, shaking him by his shoulders.

"Can't you just spot her with that machine of yours?" Jackie asked.

"No time. We got no time!" The Doctor was already making his way out the doors and the flat. Jackie and Mickey close behind. They went inside the TARDIS and the Doctor was pressing various buttons, looking at the screen madly, but it didn't seem to show the wanted results. "Come on!" He was shouting at it.

"Oh! Isn't it the Milkey's Park?" Jackie said simply.

"Milkey's?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment. "Are you sure it's the real name? I need the real name, Jackie," he asked with his voice low.

"Yeh yeh, there was that bloke Milkendo, from Australia-" She began to tell her story.

"Shush!" The Doctor shushed her, as he typed the coordinates and the TARDIS flew its way to the park.

Once the TARDIS landed, the Doctor was out first, running around the trees and calling out for Rose. "Rose!" But no answer.

"Rose?" Mickey and Jackie were helping out too. "Where is she?" Jackie cried.

"Can it be we got the place wrong?" Mickey asked.

"No no no. It's the right one. There is just something." He looked around. "Something about the air here." He walked about, inspecting the place.

"Oh, bloody hell, are you thinking of creating a picnic now!?" Jackie shouted out at him.

"The air, the air! Yes!" he exclaimed happily. "Teleportation feed. Something teleported from around...just around..." He walked around a few trees. "Ha!" He spotted Rose's phone.

"Oh my, God. Is she dead?" Mickey asked worried.

"No no no. They took her. That means they wanted to lure me to them." The Doctor began to walk towards the TARDIS, when Jackie and Mickey were near, he turned to face them. "You both, go back home, sorry, no time for dropping you off."

"I'm going with you. Not going to leave my daughter!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Mickey!" The Doctor nodded a pointed look at him. And seconds later was inside, leaving Jackie struggling in Mickey's arms.

* * *

_**to be continued... in Christmas Invasion Continuation**_

**A/N: Sorry, really. That I didn't make it. But it's already after midnight and if I go down on the action now, it would take a looong while. Some way or another, I'm planning to finish this one tomorrow. But I can't promise. I knoow, it would be plain cruel if I leave this hanging open for a week, but! I needed to post something! **

**Oh, and btw. Are there many people mourning over Jimbo? I liked him, but he was like a symbolic character for me. And he stayed way longer than I anticipated at first. But! If you lot want him back, I could arrange something. **

**Also, why I made Doctor not wake up so long. To be honest, I'm not sure how much time happened in the show, but let's say I got it more or less right. But I didn't make him wake up sooner, because he didn't get any tea before he collapsed for the second time. In the show, as soon as they bring him in the bedroom, Jackie places the tea on bed table, now there was no tea. And he had to wake up, his condition getting even worse. So it took time to get teas effects. Well, at least that's my logic. **

**Aaand. Reviews would be nice, as always. Hehe.**


	16. Christmas Invasion Continuation

**I can't believe it! It's actually done! Hehe. Managed to post one last chapter before my trip. From this moment on. 5 days off. Sorry. I'll try to think of some brilliant ideas while I'm out there :P**

**Thank you everyone for following this story! And please review, if you could. I know, it might sound like too much to ask, but as I see the number of people following this story of mine growing, I can't help feeling the need to learn what you think of it while you are reading it. Would be forever grateful. "bows."**

* * *

Rose felt herself being pulled somewhere with a bright light. _Oh, it's just becoming a habit now, isn't it? _Still eyes closed, she could hear a loud cheer, echoing from all over the place. She fluttered her eyelids and backed down, startled, as the Sycorax leader was standing face to face with her, almost too close.

He started speaking something, but, of course, Rose couldn't understand. TARDIS was kinda out of reach. She narrowed her eyes questioningly and that seemed to be held as a rude gesture, because soon she found herself being dragged by a rough hand.

"Alright alright, I'm coming." She spoke, annoyed. She glanced her surroundings to see Harriet Jones, looking at her with fear and delight.

"Rose. Rose!" She reached out for her to meet her in a hug. "I've got you. My Lord. Oh, my precious thing. The Doctor, is he with you?" she whispered in her ear.

"No. We're on our own," Rose whispered back. "For now."

Harriet pulled away a bit. "Does that mean he is coming?" Still in a low voice.

"Yeh." Rose smiled fondly. "But I don't know when."

Frankly speaking, she had no idea in what situation the Doctor was in. True, he called her. Meaning he _should_ be awake now. But was he cured yet? Did the regeneration progress end? Did Mickey deliver the tea? _The tea._ Oh, God. The tea! _She_ suggested _the Doctor_ to take tea as a cure of synapses. Only now she seemed to understand it. She has finally done it. She slipped up in a way, from where she didn't have a way out.

The leader began speaking something again.

"The tree girl." The man called Alex began reading translations from his device. "She was clever enough to hide from us for 3 human hours, therefore she speaks for your planet."

"The tree girl?" Harriet asked Rose in a half-whisper. Rose laughed nervously at her. "Well, I guess that explains-" Harriet continued, but was cut short by a roar.

"Silence. Nobody interferes," Alex translated in monotone again.

"Alright then." Rose stepped forward. "Someone's got to be the Doctor," Rose half-joked.

"But you can't!" Harriet tried to grab Rose. "They'll kill you."

"Never stopped him," Rose muttered, before clearing her voice to speak in an authorized voice."I address the Sycorax." Her voice firm. "I command you to leave this world with all the authority I have gained on behalf of our planet. If you refuse, you'll be stopped." Her voice lower. "Now leave this planet in peace!" she yelled out in a commanding voice.

The Sycorax all burst into laughter.

"You are very, very funny. And now you're going to die," the leader of the Sycorax announced, or more like Alex translated it.

"Leave her alone!" Harriet tried to defend the girl, but soon was held back by another Sycorax, as the leader walked up to Rose.

"Did you think you were clever with your stolen words?" he began in a proud voice, but soon was interrupted.

"Oh, no, mister. I'm just stating the truth," Rose stated in a mocking voice. "If you don't leave this planet in peace, like." She stopped to count. "Right about _now,_ you'll be stopped," she said lightly. "And then you better not cry as a wailing child for mercy," she finished in a deadly voice.

The leader seemed furious, when he spoke again. "And who would stop us!? Is it you?" he stated and everyone started to laugh again.

"Is it you?" Alex repeated in translation. "Hold on, that's English." Alex grimaced.

"He's talking English," Harriet added.

"You're talking English." Rose sighed in relief.

"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile," the Sycorax leader protested in disgust.

"Oh, that's English." Rose shook her head smiling. "Can you hear English?" she asked Harriet and Alex lightly. They nodded.

"I speak only Sycoraxic!" the leader roared.

"If I can hear English, then it's being translated. Which means...the TARDIS-" She turned around to see a blue box materialising. After a short while the whooshing sound ceased and the doors opened, revealing the all too familiar face.

"Did you miss me?" he asked lightly.

"You're late!" Rose chided him, smiling.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but one of the Sycorax cracked his whip towards him, interrupting. The Doctor caught it by the end, pulling it out of the leader's hand like it was the easiest thing to do.

"You could have someone's eye out with that." The Doctor scolded him while walking towards Rose.

"How dare you come here uninvited!" the Sycorax began again.

"Uninvited?" The Doctor frowned in disbelief. "I though I was being expected," he cried.

Another Sycorax tried to get in the Doctor's way with a thick club, but the Doctor once again took it out of his hands and broke it in half across his knee.

"You just can't get the staff," the Doctor muttered, clearly unhappy with his welcoming. "Now, you!" he gave a pointed look at the Sycorax. "Just wait. I'm busy," he shot, as he began to walk off, but suddenly turned around to face him once again. "Better not try to interrupt me again," he said in a dangerous voice.

"Harriet Jones!" he exclaimed happily. "MP for Flydale North. Blimey, it's like This Is Your Life," he said in a hurried voice, his mouth open in a smile. "Tea! That's all I needed, a good cup of tea!" He talked hurriedly, while looking around in all kind of directions. "Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin." He gestured lightly towards his temple. "Just the thing for healing the synapses. How did you think of that?" he asked Rose fondly.

Rose began to get nervous. "Um, I done my homework, you know." She shrugged half joking. _Oh, boll. This is not working._

"That's great, that's great," the Doctor said absentmindedly as if considering the answer. Then his head shot up to meet her eyes.

"Now." His voice serious. He opened his mouth, but then it twitched. Rose looked at him questioningly. The Doctor's mouth quivered some more, before he burst out laughing.

"Wha-?" Rose began in bewilderment. The Doctor was still laughing.

"Stop it." She chided him.

"Ok ok. Sorry." He put his lips together, while gesturing them to be zipped up. Then he cleared his throat. "I was going to ask you how do I look, but I think you should be asking me that instead." The Doctor's mouth quivering again.

"What?" Rose asked, not getting the situation.

"Nice wild look you have here," he continued lightly, gesturing at her. "Gotta say - modern." He paced a circle around her, checking her from head to toe.

Rose was just looking at him with her expression blank. "Love the branch you know," he joked while getting something out of Rose's hair. It was a tree branch, about 30 cm long.

"Oh." Rose looked at the thing in his hand suspiciously.

"Had one wild of an adventure, didn't you?" He mocked her, while patting on her head some more with his other hand, letting leaves fall out. Rose grimaced.

"Okay!" he exclaimed, as he dropped the "wild things" out of his grasp. "First things first." His voice back to serious. "Be honest, how do I look?" he asked while getting a bit nervous himself, locking his gaze to hers.

"The same," Rose answered softly, already forgetting the incident seconds ago, just beaming at him.

"The same?" the Doctor cried in disbelief. "But I got this..hair!" He ran a hand through them. "And sideburns! These are sideburns, and not just a bad skin, right?" Rose began to say something, but he was faster. "And a mole! It _is_ there!" He looked at her slightly hurt.

"No, what I meant..." Rose held out a chuckle. "You look the same, in a different way." She shrugged.

"Oh, okay." He seemed to calm down, but his voice serious, seconds later. "Good different or bad different?" he asked in a low voice.

"Just different." Rose shrugged while smiling at him.

Then Doctor prepared himself for the most universally important question. As he asked. "_Am I...ginger?_"

Rose snorted, but soon stopped it with her hand. "No, you're just sort of-" She gestured. "Brown."

The Doctor was highly disappointed by that remark.

"Aw, I wanted to be ginger." The Doctor walked further away from her, complaining. "I've never been ginger." He was walking with his back on Rose, before abruptly turning. "And you, Rose Tyler." He shouted out while pointing at her. "Fat lot of good you were. You left me there with your mother." He seemed to caught himself. "Oh, that's rude." Rose rolled her eyes. "That's the sort of man I am now, am I?" He was thinking deeply about it in concern. "Rude," he said it, as if trying it out with his tongue. "Rude and not ginger." The conclusion.

"I'm sorry." Harriet stepped in "Who is this?" She gestured to the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor replied absentmindedly, as if in reflex.

"He's the Doctor," Rose added in confirmation.

"But what happened to_ my_ Doctor?" Harriet asked in concern. "Or is it a title that's just passed on?"

"I'm him." The Doctor began to walk towards her haughtily. "I'm literally him. Same man, new face," he stated. "Well, new everything," he joked.

"But you can't be." Harriet didn't budge.

"Harriet Jones, we were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, it wasn't the war." The Doctor was talking in a simple way. "It was the thought of your mother being on her own," he ended softly.

"Oh, my God," Prime Minister exhaled.

"Did you win the election?" the Doctor asked her proudly, leaning forwards at her.

"Landslide majority." Harriet shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"If I might interrupt," the Sycorax roared.

"Yes, sorry." The Doctor shook his head, as he seemed to remember him existing there. "Hello, big fellow." His hands behind his back, eagerly waiting to listen what that "Big fellow" has to say.

"Who exactly are you?" Sycorax stated a question.

"Well, that's the question," the Doctor agreed lightly, nodding with a smile.

"I demand to know who you are!" the Sycorax roared at him.

"I don't know!" the Doctor yelled out at him, imitating his roar.

"See, there's the thing." Back to nonchalant. "I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know." He nodded apologetically. "I literally do _not_ know who I am. It's all untested. Am I funny?" He tried asking, while slowly walking further inside. "Am I sarcastic? Sexy?" He winked at Rose, who just shook her head smiling. "Right old misery? Life and soul?" He passed by the leader casually, as he continued walking. "Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter?" He began to quicken his pace. "A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob." He concluded in a hurried voice. "And how." He looked delighted, when spotting the button. "Am I going to react when I see this." He pointed in its direction casually.

"A great big threatening button." He laughed as he began jumping up the stairs. "A great big threatening button, which must not be pressed under any circumstances, am I right?" He looked at the Sycorax teasingly, clearly getting on their nerves. "Let me guess. It's some sort of control matrix, hmm?" He looked at them with big eyes. " Hold on, what's feeding it? " The Doctor squatted down to open the base of the pillar, under the button.

"And what've we got here?" He put his finger in the liquid as he licked it. "Blood? Yeah, definitely blood." Rose rolled her eyes.

"Human blood. A Positive, with just a dash of iron. Ah ah." He shook his hand in disgust as he grimaced. "But that means" He considered. "Blood control. Blood control!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Oh, I haven't seen blood control for_ years,_" he cried. "You're controlling all the A Positives." He nodded in understanding, the Sycorax growling at him. "Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem."The Doctor put his lips together sarcastically. "Because I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop." He stopped for a second to look at Rose.

"What do you think about this big threatening button which should never ever be pressed under any circumstances?" he asked her casually.

"Looks dangerous." Rose nodded sarcastically. Harriet looked her over sceptically.

"It does, doesn't it?" he agreed with her in the same manner. "So that leaves me only to this." As he hit the button with a force.

"NO!" Harriet yelled out.

"You killed them," Alex exclaimed.

"What do you think, big fellow?" the Doctor asked Sycorax's opinion. "Are they dead?" He looked at him solemnly.

"We allow them to live." The Sycorax choked under his breath.

"_Allow?_" The Doctor mocked him. "You've no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is." He began pacing about, picking on his ear. "A cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes." He began his rambling. "It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis. You can't hypnotize them to _death_." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Survival instinct's too strong."

"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force," the Sycorax countered him. _Never know when to give up, does he?_

"Well, yeah," the Doctor agreed casually. "You could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could. But why?" he asked in deep concern. "Look at these people." He gestured to the group. "These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than-" He cut himself short, as he looked to the side. "No, hold on." Blinking a few times. "Sorry, that's The Lion King." He apologized sincerely. "But the point still stands. Leave them alone!" He came to stand in front of the Sycorax.

"Or what?"

"Or-" The Doctor trailed off, as he took a sword from an aide and ran back towards the TARDIS.

"I challenge you," he announced grandly.

_An echo of laughter echoed from the place._

"Oh, that struck a chord." The Doctor looked around. "Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?" He talked casually while taking off his gown.

"You stand as this world's champion," the Sycorax roared while pulling his own sword out.

"Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." As he threw his robe at Rose.

_Oh, boll. This's plain wrong. You don't know who you are, while I, on the other hand, know you well enough. At least way beyond your own knowledge. How ridiculous is that?_

Rose frowned while deep in her thoughts. She was too focused on her own world that she didn't even notice how the fight emerged and the Doctor was gradually making his way outside. Just before disappearing out of their sight, the Doctor called out.

"Don't fall asleep there, Madcap-y!" Rose shook in surprise. _That sounded way beyond weird. _Seconds later, she was outside, looking at the Doctor and the Sycorax in the middle of intense fight.

"Better don't wanna miss the show!" The Doctor called out for her in a grin, when he spotted her.

"Never!" She called out, grinning herself.

After sparing for a few more whiles, the Doctor was driven back to the edge and soon enough, hit on the nose.

Rose instinctively took a step towards him, the Doctor stopping her at once. "Stay back!" He held a hand in defence. "Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet."

Of course, she knew that. But as much as all this was a repetition of the things she has already been part of, she couldn't help feeling protective.

They both - Sycorax leader and the Doctor ran towards at each other with full speed and clashed their swords. Unfortunately, the Sycorax seemed to be a lot stronger as he knocked the Doctor down, slashing his hand seconds later, which fell to Earth.

Rose placed the hand over her mouth.

"You cut my hand off," the Doctor breathed.

"Ya! Sycorax!" The leader began to cheer, but was stopped for a moment, when he spotted Rose's smug face. He seemed to be lost for a second, before the Doctor's voice disturbed him.

"And now I know what sort of man I am." The Doctor stood up. "I'm lucky. Because quite by chance I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means..." He paused meaningfully. "I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this." He held his arm up, as his hand slowly regrew, right before their eyes.

The Sycorax leader grimaced. "Witchcraft," he hissed.

"_Time Lord,_" the Doctor stated in a low voice, making no doubts about his identity.

Rose looked at him proudly with a smile, when she remembered that he needed a new sword. She spotted another Sycorax behind her. As she managed to distract him, she took the sword from him.

"Doctor!" She yelled out for him, while tossing the sword at him. The Doctor caught it without any sweat. He grinned at her in gratitude.

"Want to know the best bit? This new hand?" The Doctor directed the question at Rose.

"What is it?" Rose replied with enthusiasm.

"It's a fighting hand!" he replied in a manic grin.

He was now fighting with a whole new power, and soon after they started to fight again, he quickly disarmed the Sycorax and thumped both hilts into his abdomen, twice as that. He fell right on the edge, overlooking London.

"I win." The Doctor put the edge of his sword under the leader of Sycorax throat.

"Then kill me."

"I'll spare your life if you'll take this Champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return." He was speaking in a low authoritative voice. "What do you say?"

"Yes."

"Swear on the blood of your species," the Doctor hissed while dangerously pointing at his throat.

"I... swear," the leader exhaled.

"There we are, then." The Doctor's voice back to casual. "Thanks for that. Cheers, big fellow." As he placed the sword in the ground.

"Bravo!" Harriet was first to applaud proudly.

"That says it all," Rose muttered while skipping her way towards the Doctor. "Bravo!" she exclaimed happily, his gown in her hands, as she helped him to put it back on.

"Did you like the show?" he asked her teasingly.

"Mm, gotta consider this." Rose faked a deep thinking expression.

"Hey!" the Doctor cried, making Rose laugh out loud.

"Yep yep, loved it." She told him while tugging on his arm.

"Ah, I knew it. Not bad for a man in his jim-jams." He looked at her fondly. "Hold on, what have I got in here?" He unwrapped himself from Rose's grip gently while searching his pockets." A satsuma." He picked it up, holding it and pointing towards Rose. She couldn't help laughing. "Ah, that friend of your mothers." He tossed it in the air, catching it a few seconds later, while looking at Rose nodding. "He does like his snacks doesn't he?" They began walking towards the exit. "But doesn't that just sum up Christmas?" He started juggling the satsuma. "You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?"

Somewhere behind the two of them, the Sycorax leader got up, and after grabbing his sword, was now running straight at the Doctor's back. The Doctor threw the satsuma at a control on the spaceship hull angrily. The same moment a piece of the wing opened up and the leader fell to his death.

"No second chances. I'm that sort of man."

* * *

Once back inside the Spaceship, the Doctor stepped ahead of the group.

"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time," he began haughtily. "And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of its riches, its people, it's potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this." He looked at the Sycorax meaningfully.

"_It is defended."_

Before long, the TARDIS, Harriet, Alex, Rose and the Doctor were beamed away.

"Where are we?" Alex was first to ask.

"We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just round the corner, we did it!" Rose turned to face the Doctor.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." The Doctor looked in the sky as the spaceship flew away.

"We did it!" Rose squealed while jumping in her tracks. Seconds later, she ran into the Doctor, squeezing him with happiness. He hugged her back with as much enthusiasm.

Then they broke off the hug, but still holding onto each other, beaming at each other. Only when the Doctor spotted Harriet walk towards them, did he let go of Rose.

"My Doctor," she stated proudly.

"Prime Minister." The Doctor just as proudly, as they hugged.

"Absolutely the same man. Are there... many more out there?" She turned to look at the sky.

"Oh, not just Sycorax," the Doctor began softly. "Hundreds of species. Thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed more and more." Then he looked back at Rose.

"And they seem to always pick on you!" He pointed a sceptical look at her. "What's so special about you really?" He began to seriously think it over. "You are all just sort of...pink and yellow." He gestured. Then he saw Rose's dangerous look. "Oh no no no, I don't say you are not special, well, at least to me you _are_." He began to defend himself, while looking way.

"Hold on." He stopped for a second "That was a bit too forward," he muttered. "But the point is-" He was left with his mouth half open, when Jackie yelled out, running towards the group, together with Mickey.

"Rose!" She was running with her hands opened.

"Mum!" Rose met her in a hug.

"Oh, talking of trouble," the Doctor muttered. "And why everyone is always interrupting me?" he complained to...nobody in particular.

"Oh, my God! You did it! And you were alive!" Jackie hugged her daughter from happiness and relief. Then Rose came to hug Mickey.

"Good to see you," Rose whispered softly.

"You too!" He had her in his arms, looking at her. "I thought I would never see you again after going home with that stupid tea." Rose chuckled.

"That was all I needed," the Doctor said, smiling at the group. "Cup of tea."

"Oh, I better buy a few extra pockets then," Jackie muttered. Rose tugged on her mother's arm happily.

"Oh, my God, it's the bleeding Prime Minister!" Jackie gaped, when she spotted Harriet.

"Come here, you." The Doctor urged the group for the group hug, as he extended his arms, waiting.

And then there it was. Jackie gently in the Doctor's arms, Rose and Mickey clinging on each of the Doctor's sides. One big family.

"Are you better?" Jackie asked the Doctor softly.

"I am, yeah." He looked at her fondly. Rose was so glad to see them all together. She just smiled at the picture in front of her. But then, from the corner of her eyes she saw Alex and Harriet speaking of some important matters. "Uh oh," Rose muttered under her breath, as she broke free from the group hug, running towards the Prime Minister.

"Tell them-" Harriet began, when Rose's hand flew on top of her mouth. "Mghf." She tried to end the sentence, looking at Rose with wide eyes.

"No," Rose said firmly. "You don't have to do this. The Doctor and I, will protect the Earth." She put her hand down. Harriet tried to talk again, but once again Rose held out her hand. Just this time not covering her mouth, as Harriet shushed even before it came to that, pressing her lips together, while watching Rose's hand warily.

"These species are leaving," Rose continued. "Earth is not a murderous planet, Harriet. I'm sorry, but you were not elected for that. We defend our planet, and make others respect us."

"I'm sorry, Rose," Harriet began softly. "But as much as I adore you, and think highly of the Doctor, you are not the ones with authority here. It's my word."

"No, it's not," Rose stated with her voice cold, making Harriet a bit uncomfortable. "You may be one of the rulers of the planet, but you certainly have no experience with Foreign affairs." Harriet opened her mouth. "Much less with alien stuff...You may have seen a few Slitheen and now a spaceship full of Sycorax, but you are not the one fighting them. So if anyone has the right to maintain the relationships with aliens here, it's the Doctor."

"Couldn't have put it better myself." The Doctor' voice came from behind them.

"Doctor." Rose called out for him in instinct, holding her head backwards to look at him.

"Hello." The Doctor grinned at her.

"Hello." Rose beamed right back at him.

"Excuse me," Harriet began again.

"Yeh, right." The Doctor's attention back to Harriet. "What Rose said is true." He looked at Rose proudly, as he said that. "We'll be here to protect the Earth, as we always are. And you!" He pointed at her. "Better not try to commit genocide while I'm not aware. Oh, pointing is rude isn't it?" The Doctor looked at Rose for an answer, she nodded.

"Prime Minister." Alex butted in. "The spaceship, it's flying further away. If we strike, it's now or never."

Harriet glanced over from Rose to the Doctor, who were looking at her with serious expressions. They knew that they can't stop her word, but they can try to change her mind about it.

"Tell them..." she began. "To cease the attack," she ended, eyes closed.

"YES!" Rose exclaimed in happiness, jumping into the Doctor's embrace. "We did it!" They both laughed.

"I hope you won't make me regret this decision." Harriet sighed. The Doctor broke the hug gently, as he looked at Harriet Jones.

"I'm proud of you. Prime Minister. Britain at its Golden Age, and you right at the front lines of it." He looked at her, being as proud as he could ever be of this woman.

"You coming?" Jackie called out for the two of them, as she began walking away.

"Yeh!" Rose yelled back, still grinning.

"Come on." Rose tugged her arm on the Doctor's, urging for him to go. The Doctor didn't protest, as he began walking with her.

"So, Turkey?" He teased her. "Or nut leaf?" As he grinned all the more.

"Just gotta try out yourself." Rose teased him back.

"Yeh? Do I have to?" he asked casually.

"You bet." Rose's face dangerous.

"Alright alright, no arguments." They both laughed, when the Doctor suddenly sprang up to face Harriet once more.

"Oh, and by the way!" he called out for her. Harriet lifted her head to look at him. "Merry Christmas!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm, while going back to walking with Rose Tyler.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Harriet whispered to their backs.

* * *

"Oh, I gotta get the table ready!" Jackie began her blab once they reached the Powell Estate. "With you both disappearing all my preparations were stopped." Rose tried to say something, but Jackie gave no room. "Mickey you're coming over, right?"

Mickey looked at Rose, asking. "'Course he is." Rose pushed Mickey gently towards the entrance of the Estate.

"And you, Doctor with the new face." Jackie glanced him over, making the Doctor look at her like he was offended but in truth was laughing, as he glanced her over in the same manner. "Come on in you too," Jackie ended in a soft voice.

"Ah, I..." the Doctor began, pointing behind his back. "Got to change..." He trailed off, with his mouth half open, teeth showing. "And stuff..."

"Okay, then. Change and come back here," Rose said simply. The Doctor opened his mouth.

"I'll be waiting." Rose gave him a meaningful look while slowly going backwards from him.

The Doctor closed his mouth. "Right."

* * *

At the Powell Estate Mickey together with Jackie and Rose were rushing about the table, making their last preparations - Mickey cutting the Turkey (it's Turkey after all), Rose already half eating, while joking around with the both of them.

And not many moments later, the door closed down with a thud. Rose meeting her Doctor looking same as always, just as she remembered - in his long brown coat, pinstripes suit and converses, grinning at her.

All she did was smile at him fondly. _Good to see him again_. It was just so good to see him.

Rose urged him to sit down under the table, as he soon found himself with the red paper crown. "Am I the king now?" he asked expectedly.

"Sure you are," Rose joked around, as she sat down under the table herself.

The Doctor shot the Christmas decorations in the air, when he found another crown inside. "Oh, that's yours." As he handed it over to Rose, placing his hands on the table.

"Yay," Rose exclaimed happily. "It's pink! Mum, it should be yours." She looked at Jackie together with the Doctor smiling at her. "Look, it's Harriet Jones." Then she spotted the Prime Minister on the telly. She glanced over at the Doctor to see him grinning at the telly.

_She did it!_

He slowly stood up from the table, grabbing a cookie in his mouth.

"That that-" Rose began standing up herself, but was soon shut when the Doctor placed the cookie in her mouth, laughing and taking another one. Then he finally walked off to the living room and saw Harriet Jones, at her best. Calming down the Earth after the big alien invasion.

Then telephone rang and Jackie came to answer it.

"It's Beth. She says go and look outside."

"Why?" Rose began to get nervous. It couldn't be snowing with ash. _They stopped it, didn't they?_

"I don't know, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!" Jackie urged them.

Once outside they saw everything in white. Even Rose's face. _It couldn't be._

_"_Wha-what is this?" she shuttered, looking worriedly at the Doctor.

"Oh come on. Like you never saw it before." The Doctor mocked her. "It's snow, of course! Great big snow on Christmas!" he exclaimed happily, like waiting for something.

There was a moment of pause, before Rose turned her head to face him.

"No." She looked at him in bewilderment. "No way."

"Yes way." The Doctor nodded haughtily.

"Seriously? You did this?" She beamed at him, too lost of words.

"Ah, well. I guess I did a bit of jiggery pockery with TARDIS and all that. Basic stuff." He shrugged nonchalantly, picking on his ear.

"Oh, you!" She flung herself in his embrace once again. "I keep hugging you." She laughed.

"Not complaining." The Doctor grinned at her, squeezing her.

"Oh, look at those two," Mickey stated.

"Two of the same kind," Jackie added.

"We certainly are," the Doctor agreed, as he looked down to face Rose. "I think my character was highly influenced by your mad outburst."

Rose shook her head smiling. _Who influenced whom._

"So you are leaving again?" Mickey said in a slightly disappointed voice.

Rose broke free from the Doctor's embrace, while looking from him to Mickey frantically. "Am I?" she asked the Doctor faintly.

"You don't want to come?" the Doctor asked, slightly scared. _Okay, not fooling anyone._ Quite a bit scared.

"I do, but I thought, maybe you didn't want me after all..." she said nervously.

"Oh, I would love you to come," he said gently.

"Yeh?"

"Yeh." He looked at her fondly. "I thought we already went past that."

"Yeh, but." She shrugged. "That was you not in your full mind, so-"

"Oh, I think I would want you to come with me even with my head split in two." He told her softly.

Rose gave him a nervous look. "Okay. That was a bit weird." The Doctor caught himself, making Rose laugh.

"Come on, then." He held his hand, waving his fingers in invitation.

Rose looked at the hand, as it was her whole universe. Well, it was. It's how everything started, and she never wanted to let go of his hand again. So she took it.

"Always fits," she said softly. The Doctor smiling at her. "So, where're we going to go first?" she asked, tugging on his arm.

"Er." The Doctor looked at the sky. "That way." He pointed at one direction. "No, hold on. That way." To slightly bit different one.

Rose chuckled. "Just everywhere in order." She squeezed his arm.

"That's the spirit." The Doctor smiled at her approvingly. Then back to pointing. "That way for now."

"That way?" Rose pointed too.

"Hmm?" The Doctor asked her opinion.

"Yeah, that way."

* * *

**to be continued..**.


	17. New Earth

**I'm back! Hoohoo! You have no idea how happy it made me to find soo many new feedback! Thank you thank you thank you! I missed this story of mine and you all~**

**Anyway, here it goes. **

* * *

The Doctor was starting to power up the TARDIS, while outside Jackie and Mickey were saying their goodbies to Rose.

"Okay, I'm going now. I love you!" Rose hugged her mother tightly, both conveing their loves and best of wishes to each other, when the time came to say goodbye to Mickey.

"So," Mickey began.

"Yeh." Rose just nodded.

"This is becoming a routine," Mickey joked sadly, Rose joined him, laughing nervously.

"Just you and him, across the world," Mickey added a bit bitterly.

Rose would have said something more comforting, but the Doctor was already starting up the TARDIS, and there was just no time. Or at least that was what she told herself in excuse.

"Love you, take care of yourself, Mickey." As she hugged him.

"Yeh." A faint agreement was the last thing she heard, as she entered her home TARDIS.

Once the Doctor saw her come inside, it seemed like another wave of enthusiasm filled him whole. He gave her one of his magnificent grins, which Rose didn't fail to return.

She dropped her backpack and quickly joined him near the console.

"So where are we going?" She teased him.

"Further than we've ever gone before." He smiled at her meaningfully.

And just before the TARDIS dematerialised, with Jackie and Mickey being already quite far away from the ship, neither of them noticed how a big dark shadow stuck on the TARDIS, vanishing together with the pair inside.

* * *

The TARDIS landed with a bit of a bump, but the Doctor either didn't pay too much attention to it or hid it well. Rose never mentioned anything about it either. Clearly too used to the bumps of their beautiful ship. Although, it nagged her conciousness to ask, as this landing was not how she remembered it to be.

All those disturbing thoughts disappeared when Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and found herself across the river from a massive city. Flying cars zooming over their heads.

_New Earth. Their very first date after the Doctor's regeneration. _And well, Cassandra. But she could worry about that some time later.

"It's the year five billion and twenty three. We're in the galaxy M87, and this?" The Doctor looked around. "This is New Earth," he exhaled, breathing the view same way as Rose. It was his first trip after regeneration. The first experience with his brand new eyes.

"That's just-. That's just-" Rose breathed, when she started laughing from happiness.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." The Doctor nodded in agreement, beaming at his surroundings.

"I'll never get used to this," she said, smiling.

"Really?" The Doctor turned to face her. "I thought you were already too much used to all of this." He teased her.

"Okay, you." She tugged on his coat, pushing him playfully on the side.

"You are right. Maybe I'm used to this." She let go of his coat and walked a bit further. And then sprung over to face him, beaming. "But I'll never get tired of this adventure." She gestured to her surroundings, when she started to spin around laughing.

The Doctor watched her with amusement and happiness. The life she was radiating was _so_ beautiful.

Rose stopped for a second to face him. "This is truly the life which I needed. And can I just say..."She glanced on the ground, then back to him, grinning. "I love this. Travelling with you, I love it," she ended fondly. And she meant every second being with him. And him. _She loved their life._

"Me too," the Doctor added quickly, as they both just grinned at each other.

"Come on." The Doctor urged her, as he extended his hand to take into his. And the running began, running running running - all across the field, until they found a spot to lay down.

The Doctor placed his coat down on the ground with them on top of it. As Rose twirled her fingers into the grass, she picked some out.

"It smells like..." She trailed off in effort to look like smelling it.

"Apple." The Doctor grinned at her.

"Apple grass," Rose sang.

"Yeh," the Doctor agreed all happy. Then he turned away to face the city.

"So, the year five billion, the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted," he stated lightly.

"That was our first date." Rose teased him in reminder, facing him downwards.

"We had chips." The Doctor looked up at her, smiling. Both of them laughing at the memory. _It felt nice. To finally be able to talk about something of the past, both of them were aware of. To finally be not the only one with the nostalgic feelings. _

"So anyway." The Doctor turned away to face the city again. He would just not be able to continue looking at her. "Planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars." He gestured. "Soon as the Earth burns up, oh yeah." He stopped his pace, as if remembering something else. "They get all nostalgic, big revival movement, but then find this place." He sat up, with his arms supporting him. "Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely," he ended lightly. "Call goes out, the humans move in."

"What's the city called?" Rose asked while stifling the chuckle.

"New New York," he answered seriously.

"Oh, come on." Rose looked at him mocking.

"It is!" he cried, looking at her. "It's the city of New New York," he said in a high voice, laughing in between. "Strictly speaking." His voice back to normal as he was once again facing away from Rose Tyler. "It's the fifteenth New York since the original." He nodded to himself with self understanding.

What he didn't see was how Rose began to shake already from what is to come next.

"So that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York," he ended with his lips still parted. When he heard Rose chuckle and saw her shaking, he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"No no, nothing-" Rose put her hand ahead of her, as she continued to laugh.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked again, confused.

It made Rose laugh even more. Reminded her of the time with Sarah Jane. She rolled on her side on the coat.

"If you won't speak, I'll just have to make you," the Doctor sang.

"What?" Rose exhaled faintly between laughs and soon found herself attacked by the Doctor's tickling.

"Ya-h!" she squealed, as she tried to get away from the "attack".

"Speak up." The Doctor urged her, laughing himself from amusement.

"Never!" Rose yelled out as she rolled outside the "coat zone." She soon found her breath again. Before long, she noticed that nobody was trying to make a move on her again. She glanced to the side just to see the Doctor casually laying on the coat, looking at her in satisfied grin.

"Oh no." Rose was starting to stand up. "You've done it on purpose!" She cried while laughing.

"Did I?" The Doctor tried to play innocence. However, just before Rose could get her revenge, he abruptly stood up and began to take his coat back on.

Rose watched him struggle for a while to find his other "coat arm", before she decided to come up and help him.

"Truce?" The Doctor teased her.

"You wish." She slapped on his arm lightly.

"Ow." The Doctor gestured, rubbing his arm. "You seriously got something against arms," he stated." I tell you. Even since the day one, when you were firstly playing with it, oh." He came to consider. "And that didn't seem that wise, considering the whole situation-" he started his blab, when Rose noticed something laying to the side of the TARDIS.

"Doctor." She tried to call him.

"-And you just pull it out like it is the most reasonable thing to do in the world, and watch it struggling under your grasp-" he continued with disbelief in his voice.

"Doctor." Rose tugged on his arm.

"-Oh oh, and not to mention the time with The Adherents of the Repeated Meme-"

"Doctor!" she yelled out, harshly this time.

"What?" He looked at her innocently.

"There is something laying out there, next to the TARDIS," she stated seriously while pointing at the direction.

"Oh." The Doctor looked at it nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter, let just move on." He pulled out his psychic paper. "Look, someone is expecting me at that hospital over there." He pointed at the horizon.

Rose looked at him in disbelief. When she saw no cooperation coming from him, she stormed her way out to the TARDIS.

"Oi! Rose!" the Doctor called out, but more annoyed than worried.

_Something was off. _

When she finally reached the TARDIS she saw that the thing laying there appeared to be a living person. And no less, the distinctive WW2 greatcoat just gave it all away.

"Jack!?" Rose exhaled as she leaned over to him. She felt how the Doctor came to stand just behind her.

"Oh my God, Jack, how-" She turned him around to feel his pulse and there was none.

"He's not breathing," Rose exhaled in horror.

"Well, yeh, since he's dead," Doctor stated nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets.

Rose turned around to face him. She gave him a look and turned her face back again to Jack.

"We've got to help him. Help me move him to the TARDIS," Rose said faintly in desperation.

When no response was heard, she turned around once more to see the Doctor casually walk off. "Doctor!" she called out, him just waving his arm.

She couldn't believe it. Jack was their friend. And now he was...no no, he was not dead dead. There must be something she could do. Even if without the Doctor's help. She looked down to him.

"Maybe CPR would help," she muttered, as she began to lean over, when a pair of hands stopped her.

"No no no no, you don't need to do that." The Doctor shook his head, laughing nervously. "Just leave him."

"If you are not gonna save his life, then I'll!" she hissed, as she began to lean again, just to be stopped with even more strength.

She looked at him in disbelief and hurt. _What got into him?_

_He sighed. _

"If you want to wake him up, you gotta do it this way," he said nonchalantly, as he opened the TARDIS doors, taking a wooden stick, out of who knows where, and hitting it into Jack's abdomen.

"Gah," Jack gasped. "So cruel, Doc," he breathed faintly. Rose froze in place, looking at him with horror.

"You just had to come and ruin everything," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

When Jack got his breath even, he turned to face Rose. "Hey, Rosie. Good to see you!" He smiled at her. Rose's mouth just twitched in a half-fake smile.

* * *

"So, what are you two doing here?" Jack began, while standing up and looking around. "Oh, New Earth. Great choice." Then he straightened up to face the Doctor.

"Doctor. "

"Captain."

"Good to see you," Jack said with a blame in his voice.

"And you," the Doctor stated coldly. "Same as ever. Although," he furrowed his brows in question. "Have you had work done?"

"_You_ can talk," Jack shot back.

The Doctor looked at him innocently, confused. "Oh yes." Then it hit him. "The face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"

"The police box kind of gives it away. I've been following you for a long time," Jack stated. "You abandoned me," he accused.

"Did I?" he asked in a voice like _you should know why_. "Busy life. Moving on," he ended quickly.

Rose was still pretty much confused, but those last few sentences seemed to wake her up from her daze.

"Hold on." Rose came to stand between the two men. "You did _what_?" She turned to face the Doctor in disbelief.

The Doctor just shrugged nonchalantly.

"What happened to rebuilding the Earth?" she persisted.

"Don't know. Guess he did have some work to do. Didn't you?" the Doctor asked Jack casually.

"So much of rebuilding the Earth.," Jack muttered.

Rose looked from one man to another in disbelief. Is this what she has done? By changing things? It couldn't be that this was the truth all along. _Could it?_

"Wha-wha-" Rose shuttered.

"Moving on!" the Doctor interrupted her mumbling, as he began to walk off. "Don't know about you lot, but I'm busy. Got a call to take." He waved his psychic paper. "You coming or staying?" he called out, already further away.

"Coming," both Jack and Rose called out in reply, unhappy.

* * *

All the way to the hospital Jack and Rose were quite a bit behind the Doctor.

"So how are you two doing?" Jack asked casually. "The Lord still doesn't know anything?" He gestured.

"No. But he suspects." Rose sighed, failing to notice the joke.

"Well, it's a given," Jack said.

"Not that. He began-" Rose bit her lip. "Investigating me," she whispered.

"What again?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Just before we landed, back in the TARDIS," Rose began. "He began to casually ask me about food I like or places I want to visit, then we began to play this game - answering in a split of a second. And on one of those moments he asked "When was the first time you encountered aliens?" and of course I answered that at the Henrick's with him," she exhaled.

"Wait." Jack stopped at his tracks. "That mind game should invoke you telling the truth as your answers only got a second or two, not enough time to think," he calculated. "So how did you answer that?"

"Well, that's the truth." Rose shrugged nonchalantly.

"But you said you are crossing your time-" He stopped with his mouth half open. "Repeating the timeline," he exhaled.

"Smart one." Rose pushed him on the side playfully.

"Oh God." Jack covered his mouth, as they began walking again. "Wait." His hand down. "Does that mean...me?" He gestured to himself.

"Yep." Rose nodded. "I knew you even before I met you," she sang.

"And by barrage balloon?" he asked half-joking.

"Always with the barrage balloon." Rose shook her head nonchalantly.

"Seriously?" Jack was now amused.

"I'm good, aren't I?" Rose teased him.

"Oh, you are wonderful, Rosie." He hugged her from the side, making Rose laugh.

* * *

Once the two entered the hospital, they saw the Doctor casually looking around in the hallway, waiting for them. When he spotted them, he greeted them with a smile. His previously shown temper nowhere to be seen.

"Finally caught up, eh?" He teased them, walking towards them. "I guess that's understandable, superior Time Lords biology." He shook his head mocking.

"Well, I'm immortal, so it says something else," Jack added in a proud voice.

"You are?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"The immortal Captain Jack Harkness at your service." Jack gave her a salute.

"That's not something to be proud of," the Doctor countered him.

"Then _you_ can tell me what's going on," Jack shot back.

"There are no... shops here," the Doctor stated, looking around in concentration.

"What do shops got to do with it?" Rose asked.

"Oh, you two don't expect me to pour my heart out." He gestured. "Not that I have any will to dwell on this subject at all..." He considered. "Anyway, right here and now in the hallway talking about someone's" He pointed at Jack. "life problem?" he cried in disbelief.

"Maybe not," Jack agreed.

"Right," the Doctor added, turning his back to them. "That's where I'd put the shop. Right there." He pointed to the side, as he walked off, stepping into the lift.

"Ward 26, thanks," he said, when doors began to close. Jack noticing it, rushed to the lift, but it closed down under his nose.

"Oh, too late. I'm going up," the Doctor said in a bit of an "aw" voice.

"Just gotta take another lift then. Rose?" Jack turned to face her, as she casually walked inside the next one.

"And watch out for the disinfectant," the Doctor warned them.

"Watch out for what?" Jack asked.

"A disinfectant."

"A what?" Jack asked once more.

"A-" the Doctor began. "Oh, you will find out." He rolled his eyes, giving up.

"A disinfectant," Rose stated, as Jack entered her lift, just to find her all tensed up.

"What's up with _you_?" he joked.

And seconds later, he found out what disinfectant is. He clearly enjoyed it, Rose was still a bit tensed.

"This is great!" Jack exclaimed. "Come on, Rosie, relax!" He nudged her.

"It's not about the disinfectant," she muttered.

"Then?" he persisted, as they were already at the "drying up" step.

"Someone's been expecting us." She looked up to face the camera.

Jack became serious at those words too. When they stepped out inside the basement, he stated.

"Okay." He trailed off. "This, doesn't exactly seem like a ward." He looked around.

"No, it's a basement," Rose stated blankly.

"This too?" Jack asked her softly.

"Yep." She pointed the _p._

"The human child is clean," Chip announced, as he came to view from the shadows.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack came over to shake Chip's hand, who didn't make effort to shake it back.

"Jack!" Rose chided him.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm just saying hello." As he faced Chip again."We're looking for Ward 26."

"This way, Rose Tyler." There was a small pause. "And the friend," he ended, as he ran further inside.

"Ouch, that was cold." Jack sneered, as he began following Chip.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Rose hissed at him.

"Just want to enjoy the adventure you've already had." He told her while walking backwards and laughing.

"Jack!" Rose began to run towards him, following.

* * *

Once inside, they saw a reel to reel projector showing a film of a party. Cassandra as the main guest.

"Hello hello." Jack watched the video with a grin. "Shame I can't meet you alive."

Rose just rolled her eyes.

"Peekaboo!" Cassandra's flat skin appeared in the corner of the room.

"Here you go, the living film." Rose gestured with pity and disgust in her voice.

"Oh." Jack considered. "Gotta tell you, was expecting some kind of...a body," he joked. "This could make things a slightly bit difficult," he mumbled.

"Oh, charming boy, I am sorry to say...oh, who I'm kidding." Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I'm not sorry at all. I'm just refusing you, considering I've got bigger plans," she ended, muttering.

"Always got to try." Jack bowed elegantly.

"Now now, Rose Tyler. Aren't you popular. Firstly that, hypocrite, Doctor was he called-"

"Don't you talk like that about him!" Rose warned her dangerously.

Cassandra just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. And now, this, King of the Flirt. Tsk tsk tsk." She tsk'ed her in disapproval.

"I don't need your opinion, Cassandra," Rose shot back, frowning.

"Who's this fellow over there?" Jack gestured to Chip.

"Oh that's just Chip. He's my pet," Cassandra stated solemnly.

"I worship the mistress," he said, while stepping forward to make his point.

"Moisturise me, moisturise me." Chip sprayed Cassandra. "He's not even a proper life form. He's a force grown clone. I modelled him on my favourite pattern. But he's so faithful. Chip sees to my physical needs."

"You always survive, don't you?" Rose mocked her.

"After you murdered me," Cassandra accused, frowning darkly.

"That was your own fault." Rose pointed at her.

"The brain of my mistress survived. And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin." Chip butted in.

"Guess am not the only one with the endless lifespan," Jack whispered to Rose.

"She is no-" Rose began, when an energy force surrounded her, startling her. "What have you done, Cassandra!?"

"Release her!" Jack warned Cassandra, pointing a blaster at her.

"Oh, so scary. What're you going to do to me, Flirt boy?"

"I think it's the obvious." Jack smiled darkly.

"If you want to shoot me, then, sorry. Too late." She moved her face into a shrug. And the next moment a blast came to her, just to be stuck into another forcefield.

"When did yo-" Jack began.

"I've been busy," Cassandra stated in a low harsh voice. "Not just staying still here, as you two may think," she spat. "I've gathered my weapons to get what I need to get into the hospital." She chuckled. "This body." Was her last words before her conciousness left her skin and went inside Rose. Jack still tried to shoot her in between, but failed.

"Mistress?" Chip came over to Rose's body, which was laying on the ground.

"Moisturise me," Cassandra breathed.

"Oh God, no." Jack looked at it in horror. "Back off!" He pointed the blaster at Chip. "And you." Back at Cassandra. "Get out of there."

Cassandra slowly stood up. "Arms! Legs!" She was still admiring her body, when she found a blaster pointed at her head. "You're not going to shoot me, boy."

"And why not?" Jack placed the gun more firmly at her.

"Because I'm in _this_ body," she stated slyly.

"Okay. That makes sense." Jack lowered the blaster.

"So then. What have you got to stop me?" She laughed in his face.

"Arms." Jack gestured.

"Oh, I don't think so, Flirt boy." And the next moment Jack felt a needle in his neck.

"Finally the hindrance down. Put him into the cell cabin." She ordered Chip. As he began to move Jack's limp body, she added. "Naked. He seems to be armed." She glanced him over.

Then she spotted the mirror. "Oh my God. I'm a chav!" she cried in a hysterical voice. "Look at me. From class to brass. Although. "She considered. "Oh, curves." She looked herself over, as she pulled the zipper of her jumper down. "Oh, baby, it's like living inside a bouncy castle!" She began jumping at her tracks.

"The mistress is beautiful," Chip added, bouncing himself.

"Absolumo!" Cassandra stated in a solemn voice.

They saw the flat skin of her fried.

"Oh, the brain lead expired. My old mistress is gone," Chip mourned.

"But safe and sound in here." She gestured to her head.

"But what of the Rose child's mind?" Chip asked in concern.

"Oh, tucked away." She shrugged twirling her fingers with her hair. "I can just about access the surface memory-." Then her face shadowed. "Can't!" she cried out.

"What's the matter mistress?"

"I can't access her memory! All is...blank!" she yelled out hysterically. "What's is going on!?" She began to breathe unevenly.

"Mistress, please breathe, it's not healthy for you to get nervous."

"Huff huff." She evened her breath. "You're right." She regained her composure. "I just...I've just got to play along, right?" she yelled out to Chip.

"Of course, mistress. You're the best."

"Right." And the next moment Rose's phone buzzed. "Oh, it seems to be ringing. Is it meant to ring?" she asked slyly.

"A primitive communications device." Chip informed her.

"Rose, where are you?" The Doctor's voice could be heard from the phone.

_"How does she speak?"_ Cassandra whispered to Chip.

_"Old Earth Cockney,"_ Chip whispered back.

"Er, wotcha," she said in a sly voice.

"Where've you been? How long does it take to get to Ward 26?" the Doctor asked in a hurried voice.

"I'm on my way, governor," Cassandra continued in the same manner as before. "I shall proceed." She talked while twirling her hair. "Up the apples and pears-"

"You'll never guess," the Doctor interrupted her, missing her weird way of speaking. Maybe, because she was always weird to begin with. "I'm with the _Face of Boe,_" he announced out of sheer joy. "Remember him?"

Cassandra began to laugh in a very fake and forced way. "Of course I do," she said in a compressed voice. "That big old-boat race," she ended.

"I'd better go." The Doctor told her absentmindedly, his attention already elsewhere. "See you in a minute." As he hang up.

"This Doctor man is dangerous." Chip looked at his Mistress worriedly.

"Dangerous and clever. I need a mind like his." She talked while _readjusting_ her image in front of the mirror. "The Sisterhood is up to something. Remember that Old Earth saying?" She looked at Chip. "Never trust a Nun. Never trust a Nurse. And never trust a cat. Perfume?" She walked over to Chip, as she took the perfume and tucked the vial down her décolletage.

* * *

Inside the darkness, Captain Jack Harkness woke up just to find himself. Well. Not fully clothed at all.

"Oh, someone seems to have had their fun." Jack laughed, when seconds later, he took the blaster out from somewhere from his behind and pointed at the doors.

"Good ol' tricks." As he blasted the holding cell's doors.

When he gathered his clothes and walked around the room, he found nobody present, meaning that Rose, or Cassandra, as of now, was walking free.

Jack rushed down the corridors in the search of the Doctor.

* * *

At the ward 26, the Doctor was going round all the cubicles, when he spotted Rose.

"There you are. Come and look at this patient." He lead the way with his hand on her back. "Marconi's Disease," he announced in a half-whisper. "Should take _years_ to recover. Two days! I've never seen anything like it." He looked at the patient in amazement and disbelief. "They've invented a cell washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is _way_ advanced." He looked at her meaningfully. There was a pause, when he asked. "Hold on. Where's Jack? Wasn't he with you?"

Cassandra had a flashback of a limp body laying there. "Oh, he's..." She shook her head. "Busy," she stated meaningfully.

"Oh, don't tell me. This is the hospital for Rasillion's sake!" the Doctor cried out.

Cassandra just shrugged, faking a smile.

"Anyway. Look, this one." He was back to showing around the patients. This time was the one as white as a sheet of paper.

"Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine." The Doctor gestured at the patient lightly, as he waved towards him. "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this," the Doctor said in a hurried voice; his eyes popped out with a mad determination and curiosity. "Because if they've got the best medicine in the world," the Doctor continued to talk, wondering, while the both of them were exiting the ward.

"Then why is it such a secret?" he whispered.

"I can't Adam and Eve it," Cassandra stated in an arrogant voice.

"What's, what's, what's with the voice?" the Doctor shuttered, blinking. "If this is another you being all weird..." He shook his head. "Then it doesn't suit you." He laughed lightly, locking their gazes.

"Mmm, aren't you just-" she began in a seductive voice.

At the same moment Jack caught up to the both of them and was already starting to call out for the Doctor, but decided to stay for the show. In a split of a second Cassandra grabbed the Doctor's face into her both hands, running her fingers around his hair, as she kissed him for life. The Doctor not pushing her away at all. In fact, even closing his eyes.

"Muah." She pulled back hardly, leaving the Doctor completely speechless, with mouth half open. She put her hair under her ear, still looking at him, as she exhaled. "T-terminal's this way." She pointed her finger.

"Phew," she exhaled hard, as she walked away, temperature clearly rising, the Doctor's speechless gaze following her.

"Yep," he squealed a few octaves higher than normal. "Still got it," he stated, brushing his hair back and going after her, the next moment.

"Nice goin', Doc." Jack's voice shook him at his feet, as he sprung to the side to face the source of the voice. Jack was standing only a few meters further inside the room, and could have been clearly spotted by the Doctor, if his mind wouldn't have been. Well, slightly bit occupied.

The Doctor cleared his throat, clearly not very comfortable with the situation. "I heard you had your fun yourself," he shot back.

"Oh, so you're saying you did yours here?" Jack laughed.

"I wasn't saying-" The Doctor tried to make excuses.

"But sorry, Doc. I have to be the responsible adult here." Jack forced a fake tone. "And shatter your illusion of finally snogging Rose." He shook his head in pity.

"Excuse me, do you mind?." The Doctor chided him, as he was starting to walk away.

"She's not Rose, Doctor," Jack stated seriously, making the alien himself stop and turn around.

"What's your point?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't you notice how weird she was?" Jack countered him.

"Isn't she always," the Doctor muttered. _What, was it so hard to think that she could ki...um...maybe she wanted to experiment? New new Doctor. Of course, new experiences and all..._

"That's Cassandra inside her body," Jack stated darkly, interrupting the Time Lord's scattered thoughts.

"Cassandra?" the Doctor asked in disbelief. "What Cassandra?"

"Platform 1?" Jack suggested meaningfully.

"What?" the Doctor asked again. Jack began to open his mouth again. "No, shush shush." He put a finger before him, not looking at Captain. "If Cassandra is inside her mind..." He trailed off.

"She's going to destroy Rose's mind," Jack stated worriedly.

"Not with me alive," the Doctor said in a low Time Lord's voice, as he rushed towards the terminal. "Come on!" he called out for Jack to follow.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Oh, and. I had no way of writing the chapters while I was on my vacation, so everything is still only in my head. But well I had time to plan a few things out. Like. Jack being here. What do you think about it? Hehe.**

**Oh and. I love that Rose was the last one the Doctor kissed before his regeneration and the first after. (Let's not mind Cassandra and Time Vortex, shall we?). Maybe I'm reading too much into all of this. But isn't this the whole point of my series and loyalty to the pair? Hehe.**


	18. New Earth Continuation

**It always takes me by surprise when I find my plot wander off somewhere I didn't expect it too. Then I have to take time to find it and place it in the right place, or at least into something. Anyway, here we go! And as always a big thank you to every brilliant people out there!**

* * *

Both Doctor and Jack cautiously entered ward's 26 waiting room, where the terminal was located to find Rose, or in the current state, Cassandra, pacing impatiently, her arms folded.

"'Thought would never see you again." she shot in her arrogant voice.

"Yeh. Well." Doctor began nonchalantly. "Was a bit surprised." Doctor went further into the room, rubbing the back of his neck. "By some unasked for gesture."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I thought you liked it." she said in a mock.

"You're not exactly my taste, Cassandra." Doctor shook his head blithely.

"Not your taste..." she murmured, when she froze backing away in defence.

"Game over, Cassandra." Jack stepped from behind the Doctor.

"You again!" she hissed. "How did you get out so fast?"

"I've my ways." he smirked at her meaningfully.

"I don't even want to know." she muttered under hear teeth.

"Get out of Rose's body, Cassandra." Doctor ordered her darkly. "Before I get really serious." he added with dark eyes.

"Can't I just...stay?" Cassandra asked slyly.

"No." Doctor cut her sharply. "Now get out" he pointed the sonic at her. "Brain is a delicate thing, and you're compressing her to death."

"Don't worry, I don't see a thing as it is." she made a frustrated face.

"Move! Before you try to pull out one more trick of yours." Doctor raised his voice at her.

"Oh, don't blame me for that." she defended herself. "That was not my own doing." she paused to look into Doctor's eyes.

"It was _this_ body that acted upon." she gestured and it was enough to stun Doctor for a moment, processing the meaning of her words as Cassandra pulled the perfume out of her decolletage. The Time Lord down on the floor.

"All good." she breathed in satisfaction as she put the bottle back to its rightful place.

"You forgot about me." Jack's voice startled her as his figure was now clearly visible before her eyes, with the Doctor down.

"Oh. Hehe." Cassandra laughed nervously. "You, you still can't hurt me though, remember?" she squealed as Jack was steadily moving forwards, blaster pointed at her.

Jack smirked at her, making Cassandra dread the man. She glanced at him warily and as he was just a step away from her, he tossed the blaster in her grasp, confusion filling Cassandra and a hard side of the palm striking her on the neck - resulting in her losing conciousness herself.

"Sorry, Rosie." Jack leaned over to Rose's body as a gasp from behind made Jack stand up again.

"Wha-" Novice Hame began.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack made his way to the nurse, offering his hand. "We've got a little situation here." he gestured. "I need this one woken up." he pointed at the Doctor's still form. "And that one, restrained. Can you do that for me?" Jack pleaded with a tease.

"We." nurse began, a bit uncomfortable with the man. "We've no more available space in the ward 26, but I can direct you to ward 100."

"Just what we need. Thank you!" Jack beamed shaking her hand fiercely.

* * *

Doctor was first to wake up. He was still a bit dazed when Jack's face came into view.

"Done sleeping?" Jack teased him.

"Don't start." Doctor chided him. He sat up on his bed as his awareness came back to him. "Rose." he breathed as he briskly got out of the bed.

"All under control." Jack's voice reached his ears. "Had to restrain her a little bit, though."

Doctor glanced to the bed besides his to find Rose's body wrapped in restraining belts. His eyes narrowed darkly at the sight of her still unconscious form.

"Look, I had no choice." Jack began to defend himself as he saw the Time Lord's rage making its way to the surface.

"There's always a choice." Doctor shot back sharply, making Jack shiver slightly.

"I want her safe same as you." Jack said cautiously not to provoke him.

"What can I say? "he shrugged nonchalantly. "Not good enough." when his brows furrowed even more at the sight of restraining belts pressing tightly into Rose's flesh. He could stand it no more. Before Jack could even form a thought of protest, he stormed towards Rose, pulling his sonic screwdriver out, as he adjusted the setting to set Rose's body free.

Jack stifled the sharp retort he was going to express. He breathed out to talk in a calmer voice. "She can take care of herself."

"Yeh, she can." Doctor agreed faintly. "But not when she has no free will over her body, as someone is compressing her _mind_," he pointed the last word. "And certainly not while staying restrained in sharp belts on the hospital bed laying unconscious." he ended in a half whisper.

Jack didn't say more. What could he say? Telling him the truth about Rose was out of the question and even if she was already past this experience, he just wasn't aware of how much. Was this even part of the events? Seeming as his appearance was not expected this time round, it certainly didn't seem to be the case. So Jack just sighed.

* * *

Cassandra stirred from her sleep as she slowly opened her eyes. Besides the still blurry vision ahead of her she found herself with yet another unpleasant sensation.

"Oh my God. The migraine!" she cried hysterically clenching at her temple. Doctor's body stiffened at the words.

She sat up ungainly as she frowned. "Time for you to go, Cassandra." Doctor's ice cold voice made her shiver. She glanced upwards to see him standing besides the bed.

"But I've nowhere to go!" she cried, trying out pity. "My skin fried up."

"Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air." he said blithely, looking down at her. "Now, get out." he pointed the sonic at her once more. "Give her back to me." uttering each word meaningfully.

"Something is going on in this hospital, you said so yourself. But I need this body and your mind to find it out." Cassandra stated.

"You're not staying the-" Doctor began darkly when Cassandra yelled out.

"Her head!" she leaned forward. "Something is freaking wrong with it!" she breathed sharply. "Oh, I hate her. Can't even access her memories." she frowned in pain.

"Seems like someone doesn't want you there." Doctor joked lightly, pride in his voice of the human in thought.

"Doesn't matter. You can't hurt me anyway." she straightened up. "The Flirt boy already tried." she spat looking at Jack who gave her a warning look. "At worst I'll just let her mind whither just before I move on to the next." she sang.

"Don't even dream about it." Doctor's voice was very low.

"Then you better cooperate with me." she suggested her voice back to fake high.

"We're not cooperating with you." Jack shot back.

"I think you have no choice. Either lead me to the Intensive Care department or she burns out." Cassandra threatened.

Doctor hitched a breath. "You're aware of what's awaiting of you once you're back in the open, right?" Doctor's voice without remorse.

"I'm good at vanishing." she smiled in a fake way.

"Better be. Or you will come to face just why I am known as the Oncoming Storm among the stars." he said lightly but it made her dread him even more as she gulped.

"Right." she laughed nervously. "Now, back to the terminal." as she stood up.

* * *

The weird newly formed trio made their way back to the terminal and with a bit of Cassandra's assistance and Doctor's sonic'ing they quickly found their way into the intensive care.

The whole place was lined with the cells, thousands of them, a bit like the Tomb of the Cybermen. The Doctor opened one at random. It contained a very sick looking man.

"That's disgusting." Cassandra frowned in disgust. "What's wrong with him?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Doctor said faintly in an apology to the man, not paying attention to her.

The Doctor closed the door and moved on to the next. It contained a young woman.

"What disease is that?" Cassandra asked cautiously.

"All of them. Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything." Doctor talked, his eyes wide with his rage making its way up.

"This is wrong." Jack breathed.

"What about us? Are we safe?" Cassandra asking Doctor warily.

"The air's sterile. Just don't touch them." then he closed the door. He walked over at the railing, as he rested his hands against it, watching towards the distance at thousands of cells.

"How many patients are there?" Cassandra asked, walking over to him.

"They're not patients." Doctor replied harshly. "They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats." he said in disgust and anger at the source responsible for all of this. "No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything." he said sarcastically. "They've built the ultimate research laboratory. _A human farm_." he spat.

"Why don't they just die?" Cassandra asked, gaining a sharp glare from the Doctor.

"It's for the greater cause." Hame spoke up coming from the shadows. She seemed to have followed them.

"Did you agree to this?" Jack asked her, clearly disappointed in her.

"The Sisterhood has sworn to help." she answered softly.

"What, by KILLING?" Doctor shouted at her.

"Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses." she started in a sorrowful voice. "We couldn't cope. We tried everything, " Doctor looked at her in disbelief of her inhumanity. "But the results were too slow, so the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are." she breathed smiling softly, trying to reassure them."Flesh."

"These people are alive." he gestured at the cells, blame in his voice clearly visible.

"But think of those Humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us."

"If they live because of this, then life is worthless." Doctor continued.

"But who are you to decide that?" Hame asked him faintly.

"I'm the Doctor." he whispered, storming his way to stand in front of her. "And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority," he raised a warning eyebrow at her. "Then there isn't one. It stops with me."

"Just to confirm." Cassandra butted in slyly, Doctor taking calming breaths as he turned to face her and back to Hame moments later. "None of the humans in the city actually know about this?"

"We thought it best not."Hame said.

"Hmm-" Cassandra trailed off when a sharp gasp escaped her mouth, her eyes wide as she staggered, nearly falling on the ground but managed to catch on the metal bar of the railing to keep herself on foot.

"Do you need help?" Hame asked in concern, Doctor didn't pay attention to her as he moved briskly towards Rose or her body.

"I'll get some help" as Hame left the department.

Doctor looked at Rose's uneven body in great concern and anger. He held her up, to steady her. "Don't try my patience, Cassandra." he warned her.

"Sorry. " she breathed. "Have to disappoint you." a soft voice came from her mouth. Doctor looked at her in disbelief when he exhaled.

"Rose?"

A weak smile formed on her face in assurance. Doctor smiled at her at that moment relief starting to fill him up but just momentary as another wave hit her, making her gasp again just to find Cassandra back.

"Yuck, that was weird. Can't she just stay put!?" she complained. Doctor frowning at once as he loosened his grip on her.

"Don't play games with me." he warned.

"Anything we can do to help?" two, previously unseen, nurses came to face the trio. "We've heard about the _disturbance_."

"What happened to getting help to the unwell?" Jack asked.

"You're not allowed to be here." one of the cats spoke.

"Straight to the point, Whiskers." Cassandra came forward. "I want money." she stated arrogantly.

Doctor rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

"The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money." the nurse laughed. "We only accept."

"The humans across the water pay you a fortune, and that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment,"Cassandra sang. "That's all I want. Oh, and perhaps a yacht." she added. "In return for which, I shall tell the city nothing of your institutional murder." she glanced at the nurses meaningfully. "Is that a deal?"

"I'm afraid not." nurse countered.

"No need to worry about this one." Doctor stepped besides Rose's body, giving her a warning look.

"I am certainly certain of that." nurse stated.

"I'd really advise you to think about this." Cassandra warned.

"Oh, there's no need." the cat-nurse shrugged lightly. "I have to decline."

"I'll tell them," Cassandra yelled out hysterically. "You're not exactly Nuns with Guns. You can't stop me."

"Oh, come on-." Doctor began when was interrupted by a nurse.

"Who needs arms when we have claws?" as Matron unsheathed her claws.

"Well, nice try." Cassandra laughed nervously. "Chip? Plan B." she turned to face Chip near the lever.

"Where did that fellow come from?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"I'm always in the shadows, looking after my Mistress." Chip stated as he pulled the lever, all doors on that level opening. Nurses backing away cautiously.

"What've you done!?" Doctor yelled at Cassandra, watching the scene in horror.

"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake them up."she spilled quickly.

"Don't know about you, but I get a hell of a nasty deja vu." Jack said lightly laughing nervously. "Almost like with the masked people at the Blitz of London, just neither calling for their mummies." Jack ended with a mutter.

"Yeh, and just this time there's no "mother" to save them." Doctor agreed in a low voice.

"See you!" Cassandra's voice could be heard as she turned to run along the corridor.

"Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!" Doctor warned everyone frantically. "Jack, inform the hospital!" he gave him one last look before running after Cassandra and Chip, Jack dashing in the opposite direction, maneuvering between the flesh.

One of the men of the flesh put his hand into a socket and as he got electrocuted, the locks on all the cell doors blew, freeing the people inside. It was advancing to every cell fast, quickly catching up to the running Doctor and Cassandra, her yelling loudly.

They stopped for a moment to see every cell of the department, every one of those thousands, opening up.

"Oh, my God" she breathed.

"What the hell have you done?" Doctor shot at her.

"It wasn't me!" she defended herself.

"One touch and you get every disease in the world," he began frantically. "And I want that body safe, Cassandra." he told her sharply. "We've got to go down."

"But there's thousands of them!" she cried.

"Run!" he yelled at her. "Down! Down! Go down!" as they began descending the stairs. Her first, followed by Chip and lastly the Doctor.

"Keep going!" Doctor yelled out for them.

As they entered the basement Cassandra tried to call the lift but soon found it not working because of the quarantine, making them run further inside, passing the group of flesh. Unfortunately, Chip was a bit slow and got trapped.

"Someone will touch him." Doctor began to move towards Chip.

"Leave him! He's just a clone thing. He's only got a half life." Cassandra grabbed Doctor's arm, urging him. "Come on!"

"Mistress!" Chip cried.

"I'm sorry, I can't let her escape." Doctor looked at him frantically, apologizing as he dashed after her.

"Cassandra ran to the back door but there were people there, too. She slammed the doors shut.

"We're trapped!" she cried. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, for starters," Doctor tilted his head, his eyes wide. "You're going to leave that body." as he began walking "That psychograft is banned on every civilised planet." he pointed at the object in question. "Now. You've _learnt_ about the Intensive Care, our deal is over." he warned her.

"You asked for it." she said slyly as an energy ball came out of her mouth, to rest inside the Doctor.

Rose staggered a bit. After taking a few breaths she glanced over at the Doctor who was now...not.

"Oh, my." Cassandra walked weirdly in Doctor's body. "This is...different." she said amused.

"Get out of him." Rose warned.

"Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum. So many parts. And hardly used." Rose eyed her or him. "Oh, oh, two hearts!" she gasped as she shook his body."Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!"

"Cassandra, get out!" Rose yelled.

"Oo, he's slim," she placed Doctor's hand down his torso, inspecting. "And a little bit foxy."Cassandra shot her head up to face Rose, lifting his eyebrows suggestively at her. "You like it." she began to move towards her. "You may have hidden your thought, but your body moved at him on its own." she ended in Doctor's voice, leaning forward to Rose. Rose ducking her face to not face him.

As the doors burst open to reveal the flesh making their way in, Doctor-Cassandra began to panic again.

"What do we do? What would he do?" she was poking Rose's arm frantically. "The Doctor, what the hell would he do?"

"We've got to get up." Rose said. "Ladder." as she turned to face one behind them.

"Out of the way, blondie!" Cassandra-Doctor pushed her harshly aside to climb first.

_"Please, help us. Help."_ the flesh woman pleaded.

"If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something." Rose said from behind the Cassandra-Doctor as they climbed upwards. Even if Rose could think of something, it was still wiser to let Doctor look after Rose's body with Cassandra's mind than other way around.

"Yap, yap, yap." Cassandra began mumbling. "God, your both heads are so boring. Both hiding your thoughts."

As they reached the doors on the next level, it wouldn't open.

_"Help us."_ a flesh man's voice came from behind them.

"Now what do we do?" Cassandra-Doctor cried.

"Use the sonic screwdriver." Rose stated.

"You mean this thing?" as Cassandra pulled it out of Doctor's suit.

"Yes, I mean that thing." Rose said annoyed. "Now, go back to me. The Doctor can open it."

"Hold on tight." as she breathed the energy ball back to Rose.

"Oh, chavtastic again." she complained. "Open it!" she yelled at him.

"Not till you get out of her." Doctor threatened her.

"We need the Doctor." Cassandra-Rose countered.

"I ORDER YOU TO LEAVE HER!" he shouted at her.

"Don't shout at me!" she cried. "I'll fall down, making this body crumble, if you keep complaining." she warned.

"You're asking for it." Doctor gritted his teeth as he turned to face the controls to open the lift doors. Both Doctor and Cassandra-Rose inside.

After passing a hallway they found themselves back at ward 26, Frau Clovis lunging at them with a metal stand.

Doctor shoot his hands ahead in defence. "We're safe! We're safe! We're safe! We're clean! We're clean! Look, look."

"Show me your skin." Clovis ordered.

"Look, clean. Look," both him and Cassandra-Rose circled their wrist around. "If we'd been touched, we'd be dead." that seemed to be enough for Clovis.

"So how's it going up here? What's the status?" Doctor asked while placing his screwdriver back inside his suit.

"There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left." she stated. Doctor furrowed his brows at that. _What the hell was Jack doing?_ "And I've been trying to override the quarantine." Clovis continued. "If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad."

"You can't do that." Doctor dismissed it at once. "If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine. Now turn that off."

"Not if it gets me out." she spat.

"All right, fine." Doctor said faintly, nodding."So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me." he said lightly. "Rose, novice Hame, everyone!" he called out for them. "Excuse me, your Grace. Get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!" he instructed everyone.

Everyone grabbed drip bags while the Doctor collected a long piece of heavy silk rope and started hanging the bags on his body.

"How's that? Will that do?" Doctor asked Cassandra-Rose's opinion.

"It better will." she grinned at him while sticking the bags on him.

"Rose?" Doctor blinked at her.

"Hello." she said beaming.

"Good to have you back again." Doctor looked at her happy. And suddenly the situation seemed to be not so severe. Even if for another second. "Come on." he grabbed her hand as he went towards the lift, sonic'ing it open.

"What're you planning?" Rose asked him expectedly.

"Oh, just a little trick." he shrugged nonchalantly at her as he ran back inside the room, placing his sonic between his teeth as he dashed back towards the lift, jumping on the cable.

Rose gasped a bit at the sight but soon eased up, leaning forwards inside the lift, measuring the hight.

"Looks high." she calculated.

"No problem." as Doctor attached a round piece of equipment to the cable sonic'ing it. "Fancy a trip down?" Doctor looked at he suggestively.

"Any time." Rose beamed at him as she jumped towards him, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"Uff." Doctor gasped. "So much weight." he breathed.

"Don't you even dare." she warned him.

"To the cable!" he excused himself. Rose pinched him.

"Going down!" Doctor informed her as the improvised wheel he had attached to the cable took them down the shaft. After a short sequence of screaming and laughing, the Doctor put on the brake and they came to a gentle stop on top of the lift.

"Huff." she breathed. "You're completely mad. I can see why she likes you." she ended.

Doctor turned around abruptly. "Peekaboo." Cassandra-Rose sang. Doctor lowered his head, glaring at her from bellow.

"When I say so, take hold of that lever." he instructed her coldly.

"There's still a quarantine down there, we can't-" she began to reason.

"Hold that lever!" Doctor shot back at her, making her jump.

"I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself." as The Doctor poured the contents of the drip bags into the lift's disinfectant tank.

"Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position. Hold onto it with everything you've got." he told her while opening the ceiling of the lift.

"What about you?" Cassandra-Rose asked, concerned whether he was trying to abandon her.

"I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in." he told her innocently, as he dropped down into the lift itself.

He opened the doors with his sonic screwdriver. The diseased people, sitting inside the hallway, turned to look.

"I'm in here! Come on!" Doctor urged them.

**"**Don't tell them." Cassandra-Rose shot at him.

**"**Pull that lever!" Doctor instructed her.

"Come and get me. Come on!" Doctor kept urging the crowd as they started to shuffle towards the lift.

_"Commence stage one disinfection."_ the lift announced the contents of the disinfectant tank poured onto him.

"Come on, come on." The first of the humans joined him, then another and another. After getting sprayed as well, leaving.

"All they want to do is pass it on. Pass it on!" Doctor told them, jumping around.

**"**Pass on what?" Cassandra was yelling from above.

**"**Pass it on!" Doctor jumped in a light of hope.

As the disinfected and wet humans touched their diseased comrades their skin started to emit a steam, which gradually cleared the skin clean of the infections. Doctor looked at them with sheer joy on his face.

Once Doctor helped Cassandra down, she was fast to ask.

"What did they pass on?" she whispered. "Did you kill them? All of them?"

"No." Doctor shook his head. "That's your way of doing things." as he walked out of the lift grandly.

"I'm the Doctor, and I cured them." he announced walking further inside the hall, smiling at the crowd.

A woman came over to hug the Doctor."Oh, that's right." Doctor laughed, hugging her back tenderly. "Hey, there we go, sweetheart." he looked at her like a proud father. "Go to him. Go on, that's it." he whispered faintly, pushing her slightly to pass on the cure.

"It's a new sub-species, Cassandra." he placed his both hands on another man looking at him beaming. "A brand new form of life. New humans! Look at them. Look!" he exclaimed. "Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, completely _ALIVE!" _he exclaimed with so much joy and happiness that it was contagious.

"You can't deny them," he turned at Cassandra, pointing at her. "Because you helped create them." Cassandra just had her lips pressed together. "The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing. Life will out! HA!" he jumped in happiness.

Cassandra smirked at the sight. _Oh, she just knew what her new plan was._ Doctor was too immersed in this new human life form to take notice of that, when he heard a sharp gasp come out of Rose's mouth, her almost fainting. Doctor's face quickly shadowed as he ran towards her to catch her.

"Ca-" he began, when she interrupted him.

"She left me." Rose breathed faintly, before her legs gave out, and she was literally inches from the ground, Doctor almost going down with her too, as he grabbed her close to him to steady her on her foot.

"Woah." as he placed her back. "You okay?" he whispered to her, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Yeh." she breathed a few deep breaths, and lifted her head to face him, smiling at him.

"Welcome back." he beamed at her fondly, still holding her firmly against his body.

"Doctor!" Jack's voice made them turn to face the source as he made his way through the crowd.

"Jack! Where have you been? They all thought you were dead." Doctor had to let go of Rose now as he walked towards their friend.

"I kept quite a few visitors inside the ward 100, we once were _held at_." he uttered the last words meaningfully.

"Held at?" Doctor asked him confused.

"Apparently, it's like a holding cell. So, no wonder if you heard no word about me. It's completely sound sealed." Jack said when he spotted Rose. "What about her?" he pointed.

"Oh, Rose's back." Doctor announced all happily, walking back to Rose and placing his hands around her shoulders to move her forward to Jack.

"Oh, Rosie!" Jack laughed while flinging himself at her, Doctor stirring a wee bit uncomfortably as he slowly retreated his hands.

"Hey, Jack." Rose smiled in his embrace.

"Good to see you finally in your right mind." Jack joked making Rose laugh at his remark. Then he pulled away suddenly. "But where's Cassandra then?" he looked around.

"Oh." Doctor came to realisation as he sprung around to filter the room. It was filled with newly made human life forms.

"Where's she?" Rose asked faintly.

"She ran." Doctor said darkly. "Took the body of another living and ran."

Rose frowned at that. Now _that_ was not what she has expected of this trip.

* * *

It got already dark when, after making a few trips there and there to check on people and newly made humans, they came back to ward's 26 entrance just to see Hame being taken by the police. He glanced her with twisted emotions.

He looked around the room when it hit him.

"The Face of Boe!" he breathed as he dashed inside the ward.

"Well, hello." Jack joked, Doctor already leaving them. Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

"Let's go after him?" Jack suggested Rose grinning, Rose smiling as both of them ran inside, after the Doctor.

They found the Doctor already standing near the container of the big face.

"You were supposed to be dying." Doctor smiled at him suggestively.

_"There are better things to do today. Dying can wait." _Face told him when he spotted the two other people behind him. _"Oh, this is not good."_ he chuckled.

Doctor sprung around to face Jack and Rose watching him.

"Oh, I know he's not good. I can constantly feel the timeline being in a mess with him near." Doctor joked directing it at Jack.

"Oi!" Jack shot back. "Better than a giant face in container." Jack joked when moments later his face fell, mouth open slack.

"No!" he gasped. Doctor turned around to face Jack's pale face. Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, this is just so so..." Jack shook his head and hands as he backed away, finally running out of the room.

Doctor chuckled. "What did you tell him?" Doctor turned around to face the Face proudly. "Could never take that type of reaction out of him."

Face of Boe chuckled inside their heads. _"There are just some things."_

Rose walked up to the Face. "Hello." as she placed a hand on the container.

_"Hello, my dear." _Face spoke in her head._ "I see you had a big journey yourself."_

_"You know?" _Rose thought in her mind.

_"The timeline is quite a bit tangled up. There're many things happening that wasn't supposed to happen. Everything is new and still not settled. You shall heal that wound of time yourself"_

_"Me? But how?" _she asked him confused.

_"You'll know." _he finished faintly a he continued their talk with Doctor.

_"I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew."_

"There are legends, you know," Doctor approached him looking at him expectedly. "Saying that you're millions of years old." as he squatted down next to Rose, facing the Face.

_"There are? That would be impossible."_ Face chuckled.

"Wouldn't it just." Doctor grinned amused. "I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me." he looked at him with big expectant eyes.

_"A great secret."_ Face whispered.

"So the legend says." Doctor agreed.

_"It can wait."_ Face dismissed it with ease.

"Oh, does it have to?" Doctor complained, lightly.

_"We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day."_ as he beamed away.

"That is enigmatic. That, that is, that is textbook enigmatic." Doctor nodded at the sight. Rose chuckled as she stood up together with the Doctor.

He beamed at her meaningfully. "Off we go then?" he gestured towards the doors with his head.

"Off we go." Rose replied taking Doctor's offered hand as they left the ward together grinning.

* * *

They found Jack leaning on the TARDIS doors, face without any colour.

"I've got to take the recipe from the Face of Boe." Doctor joked shaking his head. "What did he do to him?" he cried.

"I've no idea." Rose joined him.

"Got a bit of a scare, eh?" Doctor teased Jack as they reached the TARDIS, Doctor unlocking it. "You better not provoke the legendary creature or you'll get its wrath!" Doctor and Rose both laughed at that.

"I used to be a poster boy when I was a kid living on the Boeshane Peninsula." Jack began his voice blank. "Tiny little place." he stopped in reminder. "I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me." he laughed. Rose and Doctor smiling at him.

"The Face of Boe, they called me." Jack shrugged blithely as he walked up into the TARDIS, leaving Rose and Doctor gaping at his back.

"No." Doctor shook his head in disbelief.

"It can't be." Rose breathed.

"No. Definitely not. No. No." Doctor began denying it until a snort escaped his mouth, Rose soon following him.

"Impossible." he cried. "How brilliant is that." Doctor cried through laughs.

"I can't believe it!" Rose squealed laughing herself.

"Oi! Enough! Come on in!" Jack's voice could be heard from inside the TARDIS.

As Doctor and Rose walked inside, they came to a stop near the doors. Turned to face each other, their faces calm. When they twitched.

"Stop it." Rose chided him in the whisper, her lips twitching.

"You stop it." he countered her his lips quivering too. When they turned from each other laughing until their stomach hurt.

"Good you're having fun." Jack said sarcastically. "But could you please now tell me how in the _world_ am I going to became_ that_?"

Doctor cleared his throat, calming down as he pressed his lips together, his brows furrowed.

"Doctor." Jack called out for him.

"Rose." Doctor said faintly.

"Yeh?" Rose looked at the Doctor.

"It was Rose." Doctor repeated as he walked over the console.

"What?" both Jack and Rose said in unison.

"When she opened the heart of the Tardis and absorbed the time vortex itself." Doctor stated.

Rose began to remember her time as the Bad Wolf. She could feel some kind of life energy after she just woken up. Was it Jack all along?

"What does that mean, exactly?" Jack countered him.

"No one's ever mean to have that power." Doctor said softly. "If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god. A vengeful god." he turned to face Rose who was now standing besides him. "But you were human.".

Jack had a flashback of his own. He remembered his first coming back to life at Satellite 5.

"Everything you did was so human." he squeezed her hands into his, calming her down, as he felt her tense up, understanding the meaning of all of this. Then his hands released its grip as he turned to face Jack again.

"She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever." Doctor said softly. "That's something, I suppose." he trailed off. "The final act of the Time War was life." he ended softly.

Jack tried to grasp the truth. "Do you think she could change me back?" he breathed.

"I took the power out of her." Doctor said apologetically.

"I'm sorry." Rose whispered, her face filled with guilt. Jack moved towards her at once, cupping her face. "None of that." Jack smiled at her. "I should be thankful instead. You wanted me alive. And forever. That's something nobody had done for me before." he joked, Rose half smiled.

"But you want to die, no?" Rose asked softly. Jack looked at her sadly.

"I thought I did." Jack considered as his palms left her face. "I don't know." he shrugged. "But this lot. You see them out here surviving, and that's fantastic." he smiled at her.

"That's...lonely life." Rose whispered faintly.

"Won't be lonely forever." Doctor patted on Jack's shoulder.

And with the last pat Doctor jumped over to work on the console. "So, joining us for a trip?" he called out to Jack.

"Ah. No. Next time." he smiled at them. "I got a bit of things to do first."

"Well, we certainly have no need to worry about meeting _you_ again." Doctor sang, stifling his laughter.

"Right right." Jack nodded smiling himself.

"Where do you request to be escorted to?" Doctor grinned at him.

"Cardiff would be sweet." Jack smiled back.

"Cardiff is it then." Doctor beamed as he came to rush about the console pressing various kinds of buttons. "Rose." he called out for her and she immediately came over to assist him. Before long, they set the coordinates and now only had to wait a little bit to land.

"How about a cup of tea before you depart?" Rose suggested. "Could tell us your story." she smirked at Jack.

"Sure, why not." Jack beamed at her as the trio disappeared inside the TARDIS hallway.

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**_A/N: And that's how Jack's secret got out. What about Rose's? Well. I was thinking about doing something in this chapter. But the words and plot of this one went ahead of myself and I had nowhere to add it. Will search for a better place. Hehe. _**

**_Reviews would be nice. "bows"_**

**_P.s. By the way! Have a brilliant day, people! :P_**


	19. Tooth and Claw

**Can I just say...Doctor Who is the most successful medicine in the world. In more ways than one. How can it be, that I don't watch an episode for a few days, and when I stop to continue, I can't help grinning all the time. How can those same episodes just never get old? ;D I love Tooth and Claw.**

**On a side not. Omg. Just when I pressed to save the document it logged me off! Just like that. I nearly got a heart attack. But somehow, don't know how, but honestly don't really care, it was saved. Phew.**

**Now then. **

* * *

An even pumping sound of the TARDIS echoed inside the console room as the Doctor was walking casually around, Rose taking care of her backpack as she had just changed into denim mini-dungarees.

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" she asked him with all seriousness. Rose considered putting on a more suitable wear for 1879, but quickly dismissed the thought. It would certainly look weird for the _supposedly_ planned trip to Sheffield and would just be in the way of the running from the werewolf.

"In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag," he spilled in a blithely voice. "Hold on, listen to this." As he put a CD into the Tardis player. And from the very first accord his face lip up in a huge smile.

"Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979." Both him and Rose were walking or half dancing in circles around the console.

"You're a punk," Rose teased him with a grin.

"_It's good to be a lunatic,_" he sang, uttering each word.

"That's what you are. A big old punk with a bit of-" Rose gestured with her hand. "Rockabilly thrown in." The Doctor grinning, as he was watching something on the console.

"Would you like to see him?" he suggested, looking at her.

"A concert?" Rose asked him with a soft smile. She sighed inwardly. They never got to that concert in the end. Shame.

"What else is a Tardis for?" the Doctor asked like it was the obvious while continuing to rush around the console in rhythm to the music, Rose skipping around the same way.

"I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar, the first anti-gravity Olympics." He started boasting. "Caesar crossing the Rubicon _or_ Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" he asked her suggestively, already knowing the answer.

"Sheffield it is." She beamed at him, with both of them stopping at their tracks, locking their gazes across the console.

"Hold on tight." As the Doctor pressed the last lever, making the two passengers stagger from the shuddering inside. But the Doctor thought it needed more impact. And soon enough, he was beating the rhythm of the song on the console, madly at that, yelling out like a tarzan.

Rose was laughing the entire time, as she watched him.

And with the last beat they were thrown on the floor, both rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically. _Oh, that was happiness. _

"1979," the Doctor exclaimed as he briskly stood up. "Hell of a year." He offered Rose his hand to help her out, making her stand in a spilt of a second. She always wondered how did he do that. But now, she could answer it. They were just so much in synchrony. She was always drawn into his energy. And after all those years, she was now just as bad as him.

"China invades Vietnam." He skipped towards a coral to take his coat. "The Muppet Movie. _Love_ that film." He told her fondly while walking backwards, towards the exit. "Margaret Thatcher. Urgh." He grimaced with one hand in the coat. "Skylab falls to Earth-" He turned to face the doors. "With a little help from me," he said innocently, as he turned back to Rose, who was just grinning at him. "Nearly took off my thumb," he stated nonchalantly as he opened the doors.

"And I like my thumb. I need my thumb." He was talking seriously. "I'm very attached to _my thumb._"His voice was barely audible at the last words.

Rose stopped right at her tracks, her mouth and eyes wide as she followed him outside.

"Now, that's, that's-" The Doctor began to chuckle. "That's a good reaction." He pointed a finger at her playfully.

"I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "We _are_ in Sheffield. Blimey." She breathed the sight in. The huge crowd dancing and singing along with Ian Dury right on the spotlight.

"We're here." Rose giggled, covering her mouth.

"Told you." The Doctor bumped her shoulder playfully, grinning at her. "Come on." As he took her hand to draw them closer to the scene. Rose skipped along, as she was still in utter shock. _They actually made it this time round._

"Didn't they hear the TARDIS?" she asked him, leaning to his ear.

"With this genius music going around? No chance." He grinned at her, while moving in rhythm urging her too.

_Ian Dury and the Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll_ playing on.

They played around; dancing there for quite a while, when Rose got thirsty and offered to go get something.

"Don't bump into trouble." The Doctor bumped into her playfully.

"You're enough trouble yourself." She poked at him meaningfully, while walking backwards and with the last smile she turned around to skip to the bar.

As she ordered their drinks, she leaned with her arms on the bar, facing the crowd. This was really a bliss. They never had a chance to really go somewhere like that without some kind of alien invasion going around in the background. She grinned when she spotted the Doctor looking at her suggestively, urging her to come back.

"_Stop it,_" she mouthed, chuckling, as she turned her head, not being able to watch him any longer. The song was ending at the same time, the lights getting dimmer and dimmer until the new song's accords were heard faintly, lights getting back. And they were getting brighter at a relatively high speed, almost making it too bright, Rose noted. Her face was starting to lose the grin. She felt something coming.

And with that, light blinded her completely, making her to close her eyes.

* * *

She felt shivers go through her body and her slowly backing away. She heard cries of a person and something being torn apart. She would have done anything but to open her eyes right now, but she felt like her life kinda depended on it. So she did open them.

Her eyes shot up wide at the sight. She let out a strangled yell, her eyes fixed on the beast devouring the man.

"Rose?" A familiar voice was heard from inside the room. She couldn't move, she was standing still as a statue, as she felt two firm arms wrapping around her, pulling her inside the room.

"Barricade the door." Another familiar voice could be heard. Rose was breathing heavily, still being unable to move properly as she saw a group of people work on barricading the doors.

"Wait a minute. Shush, shush, wait a minute," the man whispered and then Rose knew who he was for sure. She shot a glance at him to see the Doctor cautiously listening to the lonely howl of a wolf.

Rose exhaled. A wolf. A werewolf. But how? Weren't they just at the Ian Dury concert? In Sheffield. She grimaced. What the hell was going on?

"It's stopped," the Doctor whispered, one ear on the door. With one gentle movement he lifted himself up to listen to the wolf sniffing at the door, leaving just after that.

"It's gone," the Doctor stated, looking at Rose.

She looked at him nervously. What was gone? The wolf? But more importantly, where was _she_ gone?

They heard the footsteps of the creature echoing around the room. "Listen," Rose breathed.

"Is this the only door?" the Doctor whispered faintly, as he stepped from the chair to the ground.

"Yes," Robert exhaled. "No!" he exclaimed and the group rushed towards the next door to barricade them too.

The noises continued outside the walls, the Queen shivering with horror filled eyes.

"I don't understand," Rose breathed.

"Something inside this room is stopping it. What is it? Why can't it get in?" The Doctor looked confused, as he was pacing around the room.

Rose took a deep breath. _To hell with that._

"I'll tell you what, though," Rose stated, walking towards him.

"What?" the Doctor turned around to face her urgently.

"Werewolf," Rose said meaningfully.

"I know," the Doctor sang, beaming at her, as they drew themselves into a hug. "You all right?" he asked her while still holding onto her.

"I'm okay, yeah," she breathed, shutting her eyes. "Just that, somehow my head is a bit of a blur after the Ian Dury concert."

"Yeh, I know." The Doctor grimaced. "It's a pity we didn't get to be there."

"Yeh..." Rose trailed off. Then her eyes shot up at him. "What did you say?" she asked faintly.

"Maybe next time." He smiled at her innocently. Rose eyed him suspiciously. Did she dream it? The concert?

_No. _

There was something else different. There was something there.

_And then it clicked her._

It was his eyes. They were not the same. As they watched her, there were no doubt in them. Rose held her breath, as she exhaled the question.

"Do you know Madcap-y?"

The Doctor looked at her with interest, when after a few blinks he stated. "That's the word for slightly bit crazy people, isn't it?" He looked at her, waiting for an answer. She just stared at him. Blinking herself.

_What?_

"What?" he asked her a bit confused. "It isn't?"

"N-no. It is. Yeh," Rose stammered, ducking her gaze.

"Rose, you sure you're alright?" The Doctor looked at her in concern.

_No. She was sure she was not. _

She swayed a bit to the side, closing her eyes shut.

_"Rose?"_ A voice could be heard.

She felt her head spin. She clenched on her temple.

_"Rose!"_ The voice became more frantic.

She did not answer and she felt arms shaking her. "Rose! Wake up."

And with that, her eyes shot open.

* * *

She was panting heavily, as she looked at the man holding her shoulders. His face with concern, it slowly changing into a grin. "There you go."

Rose formed a faint smile. "Yeh, sorry. Must be the wo-" she began, when her eyes spotted something brown. She grabbed onto it.

"Your coat!" she exclaimed. "When did you put it back on?" she asked him. The Doctor looking at her questioningly.

"Okay. You sit here, while I look what's going on in here." He told her as he picked himself up to walk over the console.

_The console?_

Rose took her surroundings and, indeed, she was inside the TARDIS. "Oh, I'm so loosing it," she muttered, making a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry. You're still sane. Weeell. Mostly. Not that you've ever been, really," he spilled.

"Rude," Rose said, laughing.

"Just stating the truth," he exclaimed, as he was rushing about the console.

"So what's going on?" Rose asked. She then made her way towards the console, sitting on the jump seat.

"Not sure. Something's wrong with the timelines. I can feel it!" he exclaimed, while making one step away from the console to make his point. Rose felt shivers down her spine.

_Was the cat finally out of the bag?_

"There is something something wrong," he muttered. "It's like we're messing with the fixed point in time." He furrowed his brows. "But that can't be possible. There must be something else. " He was talking while working frantically on the readings of the monitor.

"Doctor?" Rose called softly.

"Mm?" he answered absentmindedly.

"How did we leave the..." Rose breathed. Maybe for once she would get it right. "The concert?" She tried cautiously.

"Oh, that's when it all started!" he exclaimed, walking around the console. "A rush of energy pulled us inside the TARDIS with a huge force and threw us back into the Time Vortex. And now!" He looked at her. "We're going to crash somewhere." He grinned at her. Rose laughing nervously.

With a big thud they landed, making Rose lean backwards in her seat and the Doctor gripping on the console. When everything became steady his face fell into a grin. "Let's check where we should have been." Offering her his hand to drag her along.

* * *

They found themselves... in a closet. And filled with clothes, it was very cramped in there.

"Always closets with you," Rose joked.

"Not my fault." He defended himself, pushing the doors open.

They found themselves in a candle lit room, with a standing mirror on one side and a double bed filling half the room.

"Hold on. That's-" Rose began, but cut herself short. _She recognised the room._

"1879," the Doctor stated. "Same difference." He shrugged.

"Ho-how do you know?" she asked him.

"We-ll, the wardrobe and the room kinda gives it away, but well not like I can _feel_ the _time_ or anything of that sort. Not that I have anything to _do_ with that-" He began his blab, Rose cut him with a playful slap on his chest with the back of her hand.

"Alright alrigh, mister Impressive." They both grinned at that.

"So what's the plan now?" she asked, while taking in the surroundings.

"Let's go and find out." He started walking towards the doors.

Rose was a bit taken a back at that and as she lost a few moments still in the room, she had to run to get to him.

"Hey!" she called out, catching up with him in the hallway, moments later.

"You might want to lower your voice, as we're currently inside some kind of manor," he whispered to her.

"So?" Rose asked lightly.

"There could be guards," he sang.

"Like that has ever stopped you." She giggled, as she tugged on his arm, the Doctor just shaking his head while smiling.

They came to a stop near a huge window at the end of the corridor. Outside it, they could see a carriage stop with the woman in a black dress stepping out of it, greeted by a man with his staff.

_Queen Victoria. _Rose's breath hitched.

_That makes this place..._"Torchwood," she exhaled, gaining a look from the Doctor.

"Torchwood Estate." Rose corrected herself. "I've heard of it before," she said weakly.

"Yeh?" The Doctor eyed her. "Wonder what did you hear," he stated rhetorically, as he began walking downstairs.

"Wait. Where're you going?" Rose hissed at him. "You can't just pop out like that. It's not even your house!" she whispered a yell.

"I'm sure I can get a position here," he teased her, waving his psychic paper. And with that, he opened the Estate doors with his both hands, grandly. Like he owned the place, really.

It made everyone outside stop talking for a moment, as they took in the two strangers, who were steadily making their way forwards.

"Your staff?" The Queen gestured.

"No, I have never seen them before," Robert breathed.

At once Victoria's guards surrounded the pair, pointing guns at them. Both the Doctor and Rose stopped in their tracks, hands held up in defence.

"You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl," one commanded.

"Are we in Scotland?" the Doctor exclaimed all happy, now in Scottish accent.

"How can you be ignorant of that?" The guard pointed his gun more dangerously at them.

"Oh, I'm, I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this, this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya timorous beastie?" He looked at Rose.

"Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Rose played along.

"No, don't do that." The Doctor chided her in a lower voice, shaking his head.

"Hoots mon." Rose tried some more.

"No, really don't. Really." He looked at her seriously. Rose had to suppress a giggle.

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" the guard asked again, more demanding.

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from thee-" He trailed of, thinking of a city. "Township of Balamory. I have my credentials." He waved his psychic paper and the guard just nodded.

"As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh." He showed the paper around, in all kind of sides, as they were surrounded. "I trained under Doctor Bell himself."

"How did you get inside?" Robert asked.

"We came through the back door," the Doctor stated like it was the obvious.

"Apologies." Rose bowed, trying to fix the rude behaviour of the Doctor.

"Make way." The Queen commanded to the men in front of her, blocking the pair inside.

"I don't think that's wise, ma'am," the guard warned Her Majesty.

"Make way," Victoria repeated, and with that, the men scattered to the sides, making way for the Queen to look at the pair.

"You will approach the Queen, and show all due deference," the guard stated. The Doctor making an "understood" gesture, as they approached her.

"Rose," the Doctor said in a soft voice. "Might I introduce Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith."

"Rose Tyler, Ma'am." She bowed slightly. "And my apologies for being so naked." She chuckled.

"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor. How did you come into presence of her?" She eyed him suspiciously "Show me these credentials." As she was extending her hand.

"She's a-" the Doctor began, already handing her the psychic paper.

"His cousin," Rose stated, smiling slightly. The Doctor shot her a confused look, which Rose didn't return, as she was watching the paper intensely, seeing it change writing slightly just before it came into the Queen's possession.

_Enough of me being the runaway child or dinner lady,_ she thought.

"Why didn't you say so immediately?" Victoria's face lip up at once. "It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector. With your cousin as your greatest right hand."

"Does it?" He looked at Rose, who just shrugged, then at the psychic paper. "Yes, it does. Good. Good." He nodded in understanding, but Rose noticed his disorder.

"I may have been delayed a bit. There was a tree on the train line."

"An accident?" he asked in a calm voice now.

"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned," the Queen announced.

"An assassination attempt?" the Doctor asked softly.

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun," she half-joked. "Now, shall we go inside?" Victoria was eager to get inside. "And please excuse the naked girl."

"Sorry." Rose smiled in an apology.

"She got herself into a wee bit of trouble with one of the patients," the Doctor stated nonchalantly, Rose raising an eyebrow at him. "It's all she tends to do really." He shook his head lightly, smiling.

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so _not amused_. What do you think, Ma'am?" Rose asked softly.

"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" Victoria dismissed them lightly.

"What're you doing?" the Doctor asked her with half of his mouth, still facing the crowd.

"What do you think?" Rose looked at him seriously.

The Doctor looked at her for a second then he seemed to get it. "Oh. You're trying to get her to say her famous phrase," he exclaimed all happily.

"Caught on, didn't you?" She smiled at him with her tongue. "I bet you 5 quid I can make her say that."

"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveller in time." The Doctor looked around nonchalantly.

"Ten quid?" Rose suggested.

"Done," the Doctor agreed at once, as everyone stepped inside the Estate.

* * *

"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." The Queen breathed the sight of a massive bronze telescope, once the group reached the observatory.

"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself," Robert explained.

"I wish I'd met him. I like him," the Doctor said beaming. "That thing's beautiful. Can I?" he gestured to the object in question.

"Help yourself," Robert replied softly.

"What did he... model it on?" the Doctor asked while already inspecting the telescope, Rose standing near the angle adjuster. _Should she adjust it some in advance?_ No. She couldn't. Those bald men were standing right there. She would get into trouble like that.

"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories," Robert stated with regret.

"It's a bit rubbish," the Doctor stated, furrowing his brows, as he was watching inside it. Rose already grinning. "How many prisms has it got? Way too many," he continued while standing up straight and walking around it. "The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid kind of-" he nearly said something stupid, when just before that, he turned to Rose.

"Am I being rude again?" he whispered to her.

"Yep." She nodded grinning.

"But it's pretty," the Doctor announced at once, facing the group."It's very...pretty." He was nodding to make his point across or more like to get away with his rude remarks. Rose tapped his arm, smiling in understanding.

"And the imagination of it should be applauded." Victoria stepped in.

"Mmm," Rose began. "Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. _Stargazing_." She uttered the word meaningfully. "Isn't that a bit fanciful?" she asked lightly, feeling the Doctor's gaze on her. "You could easily not be _amused_, or something?" she asked with a hope in her voice, even thought she knew what Her Majesty's answer would be like. But it all goes according to her plan.

Each step is important.

"No?" she ended lightly, facing the Doctor, who was rubbing on his eye while shaking his head with a smile, as he put his lips together to stifle the laugh.

"This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer?" Victoria stated solemnly. "Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales," she ended proudly.

"Stars _and_ magic. I like him more and more," the Doctor said in an amused voice.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions." Victoria stepped forward to face Rose. "Coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

"That's Bavaria," the Doctor whispered in Rose's ear.

"When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported." Now the Queen was facing Robert.

"'What's this wolf?" the Doctor asked, intrigued, standing just behind Rose, his hands behind his back.

"It's just a story." Robert shrugged.

"Then tell it." The Doctor urged him.

"It's said that-" he began, but was interrupted by one of the bald men. _Clearly they didn't want their plan destroyed at this point, did they?_

"Excuse me, sir," he called out. Rose shot him a glare. "Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost _dark_." He uttered the last word with more importance.

"Of course. Yes, of course." Robert laughed nervously, as he began pacing around the room, standing to face the Queen.

"And then supper." Victoria seemed too oblivious to the situation. "And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler?" she ended while turning her head to face Rose.

"I'm tired of nakedness." Rose moved a bit uncomfortably. That woman really could make a person feel bad. Not like she was naked in any, sane person understanding, way.

"It's not amusing, is it?" she mocked, getting a half glare from the Queen.

"_Stop it,_" the Doctor mouthed to Rose, her slapping on his chest playfully, grinning.

"Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this _wolf,_" Victoria announced, the Doctor looking all excited to hear the story while Rose getting ready for the fight. She moved her shoulders a bit, trying to make her tension go away.

"After all, there is a full moon tonight."

* * *

"The room is upstairs, 3rd on the left." Robert gestured for Rose.

Rose hesitated a bit. Should she stay? Not like she would get clothed either way. She frowned.

"Go on." The Doctor urged her, pushing her slightly.

No. She couldn't. Or everyone down there would be devoured. She had to get caught. With the last resolve she formed a reassuring smile at the Doctor, as she turned towards the stairs. Towards her fate.

Once inside the room, she came to a pause. She just stood there, collecting her thoughts. She glanced towards the wardrobe where she knew Flora would be at. Wardrobe.

_Thump_

TARDIS! Wasn't it where it was parked? She started to panic. And with that, her time for a planned strategy ceased to exist.

She opened the doors of the wardrobe, revealing Flora, looking frantically at her. Rose furrowed her brows even more. Panic taking her whole. There was no TARDIS there. It was certainly the same room, but there was no TARDIS. _Or did she get it wrong again?_ Wouldn't be a surprise, really. With everything that's going on around her, and her mind playing tricks from time to time. She still didn't know how she got to that wolf just after the concert. And the Doctor being from her original timeline. Her face hardened at that. She would have stood there for ages with her hand on the door knob, looking at the distance, if a whimper wouldn't have distracted her.

"Please, please don't hurt me," Flora whispered faintly.

Rose shot a glance at the young girl. _Hurt her?_ "Why?" she asked, confused. And she didn't notice how wrong that sounded.

"I-I won't tell...anyone. Just let me go. Please." She was shaking. Rose blinked at her.

"No no." Rose shook her hands before her, making Flora sweat some more at the words. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here to help. Really." Rose smiled at the girl in reassurance, offering her hand to stand up. She hesitated, but gradually took it.

As Flora told Rose the story, she tried to reassure the girl that they're going to be alright. Although, she couldn't tell her that she was going to let them get caught now and get a hell of a scare along the way.

They walked towards the door, Rose's hand on the knob, when it clicked her. She turned to the girl.

"Can you get unnoticed to the dinner room?" she asked the housemaid softly.

"Bu-but there are those men out there, posing as the staff..." the girl stammered.

Rose looked at the girl's pleading eyes. She wanted to make it more simple, and she would just have gotten along with everything as it was the previous time if it was a week ago or before that. But now. She couldn't have that anymore. Not since Cassandra managed to upgrade her Psychograft and trap her in the air. Those people could have an advanced plan all the same. For once she was feeling like she was losing charge of the situation. So she had to turn to the man, to whose hands she always put her life into.

"You managed to hid in the cupboard. Surely you could tip toe there, somehow, no?" Rose asked the girl with hopeful eyes.

"I-I'll try, miss." With that, Rose walked towards the candle, pricking her finger on the sharp edge of it, a bit of blood coming through it. She heard a gasp come out of the girl's mouth.

"I'm gonna need to borrow this," Rose half-joked, as she picked the girl's apron. She turned it around and wrote on the inside of it. "Show this to the man in pinstripes suit. He'll know what to do," Rose said and went out of the room.

Flora could hear some muffling sounds and of someone being dragged. She could only place her hands on her mouth to stifle the yell.

* * *

"Your companion begs an apology, Doctor." The bald man came inside the dinning room. Flora was already watching everything from the side doors. "Her clothing has somewhat delayed her," he announced.

The Doctor licked his finger of something he was just eating. "Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham," the Doctor joked.

"Your cousin is a very wild child," Victoria stated. "She almost looks like someone to eat it raw."

"Oh, that she could." The Doctor chuckled. "Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert." The Doctor dropped his napkin on the table in anticipation. "Come, sir. You promised us a tale of nightmares," he whispered meaningfully.

"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction," Victoria said a bit sadly.

"You must miss him," the Doctor stated.

"Very much," Victoria agreed softly." And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the hope of some contact with the great beyond... Come." She urged. "Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the leaves. Tell us of monsters."

"The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley." Sir Robert began his story. "The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and devoured." He paused. "But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead."

"Are there descriptions of the creature?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, yes, Doctor," Robert breathed. "Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal," he announced shakily.

The Doctor leaned in on the table. "A werewolf?" A smile crossing his face, intrigued.

* * *

"The Wolf. There is something of the Wolf about you," the werewolf stated.

"I don't know what you mean." Rose tried to play innocence.

"You burn like the sun, but all I require is the _moon,_" he spat dangerously.

* * *

Flora saw how a bald man left his rightful place and was walking towards the window, like a hypnotised being. She decided it was her chance. She tip-toead from the side doors, crawling on the floor, as she reached the table with pinstriped man sitting on the chair.

"My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact," Robert continued.

Flora tugged on the Doctor's suit, making him briefly turn his face to see a housemaid under the table. He didn't say anything, as he saw the girl placing a finger on her lips, so he just casually turned his face to watch Sir Robert again.

"He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose. I should have listened." Robert was talking. "His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations."

Angelo, the bald man, started chanting lupus deus est at that.

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly," Victoria added. And it took the men's on the table attention, except the Doctor's, who glanced downwards, under the table to see the housemaid hold her apron with red words painted on it.

"That's what I thought-" Robert was still talking but the Doctor heard nothing of that more. His heart-rate quickened, as he took in the words written. Not only the fact that it was written in blood. But the meaning of them.

"What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?" Robert asked them urgently, trying to make his point.

"And what if they were with us right now?" the Doctor more stated than asked darkly. The words echoing in his mind.

_Bad Wolf at cellar. _

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**Reviews would be helpful, with whatever you are thinking.**

**P.s. in the show, Rose was supposedly out of any Time Vortex in her. So how in the world did the werewolf sense it? **


	20. Tooth and Claw Continuation

**Uff. I'm glad I could finish it before going to sleep. Now. Enjoy! Ridiculously long. This one. Hehe**

* * *

The dungeon was dark, only with a few candles lighting the room, failing nonetheless. It was cold. Would make anyone shiver in there, if they could feel the cold. Because none really could. They were too scared of the creature in the cage, hidden behind the cold metal bars.

But they were in an undeniable advantage of the situation. Even if they weren't aware of it. Only one pink and yellow human knew. True enough, the bald men did not have an advanced weaponry or anything of that sort, but the strategy was certainly here. And it was what was trapping Rose away from so desired escape.

She was closer to the creature, werewolf, as they came to know it, than any other human, held captive. Why was she the one to be in such an unfair situation, must have been just her luck. Rose chuckled sadly at the thought. Even with such miserable situation ahead of her, she was still glad that she at least sent Flora away. It may have very well have been her - at the claws of death.

The room was changed. Not the interior, but the purpose of it was changed considerably. It was divined into two. A huge, strong, or at least supposedly strong, wooden fence across it, barricading the cage and the prisoners near the wall. However, the fence didn't stand alone. It had a human figure leaning up against it, as the wooden chains were restraining her freedom. It must have been purposely made wooden. To let the prisoner try the escape plan, prolonging the chase.

"_You will be the first,_" the man in the cage hissed like an animal.

Rose tilted her head with a gulp. Yeh, she could see the trouble she got herself into now, clearly. Not only the obvious fact of her dangerously small proximity between her and the cage, but also the fact that the chains were attached to the wooden fence. While the wooden fence was nothing to the likes of the creature just ahead, it was not a battle she could win to Rose. And what made her shiver more, was that it was not even the battle to win for the Doctor.

It was wood. Wood was their downfall.

* * *

The dining room was in turmoil. Everyone was on their feet; shouting at each other, asking for answers.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Queen demanded to know.

"Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" one of Her Majesty's guards countered the man.

"What's happening?" Victoria persisted.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife." Robert was apologizing with regret.

"Where's the cellar, Robert!?" the Doctor asked fiercely.

"Why the cellar, my Lord," Flora asked the Doctor cautiously. "The message said that's where the wolf resided at. Shouldn't we go help Miss Rose instead?" she asked with undoubtful care in her voice.

"And that's where she is," the Doctor stated in a low voice. "Robert!" He practically shouted at him to take his attention.

"It's Sir Robert to you, Doctor," one of the guards corrected him.

"I don't have time for this!" he shot back at him, making the poor man shiver.

"I'll lead the way. My wife must be there too," Sir Robert said in a shaky voice, as he lead the running group out of the room. Flora was running just a bit behind them, with her skirt in her hands.

"I don't understand, Sir. It said the bad wolf was there. Why you must go to death?" Her voice was filled with worry.

"It's a double meaning." The Doctor told her, slightly moving his head to her direction to answer, while not stopping his pace. "If only the wolf was held there, it would be simply _Wolf at cellar_ message, but it was _Bad Wolf_. It's a message only two of us know," he spilled in one breath and quickened his speed.

* * *

"I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me!" Rose was shouting at the group behind the wooden fence. "All of you!" she added sharply. "And that means you, your Ladyship." She directed it at Robert's wife. " Now come on, pull!"

"_Moonlight._" The creature looked at the moon, smiling in contentment, as the light reached its cage.

Rose could feel her blood drain and cold sweat down her spine. _This was so not looking good. _

She turned her head to the group, struggling with the chain.

"Don't slack! Pull!" She urged them with all of her strength. She was not sure how much time she would buy for them with her _sacrifice_. And if they didn't take the chain off the wall before it started its attack on Rose, she was certain they would be too frozen in place to finish the job.

The creature was standing up, taking his gown off, as he started to yell in an inhumane way, all his bones snapping sharply. The transformation was starting.

"Pull!" she cried once more, her face twisting at the sight ahead.

She just wished the Doctor wouldn't have to see her be devoured. Better she would just be out of reach before he reached her lifeless body.

* * *

The Doctor was running with all his might. From one corner to another, finally seeing his target in sight. The double wooden door just ahead of them, at the end of the hallway.

He reached the end of it in another few moments. He kicked the doors open with a force, revealing the group of prisoners escaping the chain of the wall with one last pull. He searched the group in a second, just to be proven wrong about Rose being there.

He snapped his head to the other side of the room to see the hideous beast nearly out of its imprisonment, stopping only for a second to admire the werewolf, let's note too, until he spotted Rose sitting on the ground. To his surprise, she looked at the beast with determination, rather than fear.

"Even if I die here today. I'm not going down without fighting," she snarled at the werewolf, making the Doctor's mouth quiver in a smile. _Maybe not that surprising._

Just as the creature was about to bounce his pink and yellow human, he whistled to get its attention. And that done it. Its head snapped to see the source of the whistle, sniffing the air around it.

"Out of the room!" the Doctor commanded the group, not breaking the eyes contact with the werewolf, as he began walking a half circle on the other side of the fence. Sir Robert was frantically urging the group to leave the place.

"Doctor," Rose breathed.

"Tell you what, Rose Tyler." The Doctor smiled while saying her name.

"What?" she answered faintly.

"You are not going to die today. Not with me still standing." As he pulled out his sonic to point at the beast.

"Then I have to tell you something else," she half-joked.

"What?" He was still smiling despite the situation: the beast was now preparing itself for a jump on the other side of the fence.

"_My chains are made of wood,_" she whispered.

That made the Doctor's head snap at her and his face twist in worry. That's all it took to make the beast his jump. But by some kind of luck, maybe because the beast was just newly transformed, it didn't quite make a jump that graceful as it planned. It crashed the fence half open, breaking one of the chains on Rose.

The Doctor chuckled a bit nervously. "Guess 'am still lucky," he exclaimed, as he began pacing around the room in circles with the creature staggering a bit, and shaking its head of the wooden bits. It was a ring of the bullfighting.

"Get yourself out of that one!" he shouted in her direction.

"'Am trying," she cried while pulling the chain with her both hands. That clearly being an advantage now.

"Hurry!" he shot at her, making her roll her eyes, as she was fighting with the chain.

"One. Two. Pull_._" She was muttering, when she heard a loud bang, being reminded of the duel on the other side.

One more, two more pulls and there, she got it! She was out. She exhaled with a laugh at her achievement.

"Doctor!" she called for him, as she ran towards the doors, extending her hand to take into his. The Doctor dashed towards the doors too, while ducking the beast attack. As it was nearing them, the Doctor turned around to face it, and bleeped the sonic into his eyes. It was enough to trick it for a second, while they went through the doors, locking them with the sonic screwdriver.

"That's not gonna hold him!" Rose cried, while still running.

"It makes him disoriented," he replied, grasping her hand more tightly, as they dashed further inside the hallway.

The last thing they heard was a howl of a wolf.

* * *

Everyone in the gun room were preparing themselves for the fight. The men were arming themselves, while sending the women out.

"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths. Did it say what it wanted?" the Doctor asked Rose, as he was hitting on the chain of Rose's with a metal side of a gun. She could see his face twist in disgust that he had to use the gun, even if it was not of its main purpose.

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it," Rose said, frowning a bit. She was still a bit taken aback by the fact that she escaped her death just moments ago. The Doctor was right about one thing for sure.

_They were in luck._

There was a crash of something bursting through a wooden door, which took everyone's attention. The Doctor went out to investigate with Rose close behind, just to see the werewolf at the other end of the passageway, walking on its two feet. The Doctor looked at it in awe, before the growl out of the creature's mouth snapped him back to reality. He grabbed Rose's hand, now out of any chains,running back into the gun room.

"Fire! Fire!" one of the elderly men commanded the men. Momentary the bullets startled the target, making it leave the room.

But Rose knew how temporarily it was. And the fate of this poor stupid man. Who was too proud to see the truth in front.

"All right, you men. We should retreat upstairs. Come with me." The Doctor urged them in the mist left by all the shooting.

"I'll not retreat. The battle's done," the man replied with all-knowing voice. "There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault." As he turned to walk further inside the hallway, towards where the creature once stood.

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" The Doctor took a few steps forward. He was yelling at the man to come to his senses, his own face desperate.

"And I'm telling you," the man shot back. "Sir, I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." He tried to turn, but was stopped by Rose.

_SMACK_

The man's mouth opened slack, with his eyes wide in confusion of what had just happened. The Doctor exhaling a breath of relief, that someone decided to smack some sense into this man. Soon, the man's expression darkened, as he shot a glare at Rose.

"How dare you, woman!" he began, raising a hand to hit her back. Rose flinched. She was not expecting this reaction. Not that it was _that_ unexpected, considering the times, and this man's personality, but as she acted before giving it a thought, it startled her. She closed her eyes in anticipation of a slap, but felt none. She opened one to see the elderly man's hand hanging in the air, in another one's tight grip.

"Now. You'll not proceed further into this, and follow us upstairs without a word. Is that clear?" The Doctor's grip tightened with his eyes making shivers in the man's body.

As much as the man would have wanted to argue back, he was certain that he deserved more authority than the Doctor, but he didn't dare to utter a word. As he came to a realisation of how true a statement of _one's eyes could kill_ was.

They heard a snarl coming from the ceiling and soon enough, they saw the wolf's head poking out, gritting its teeth at them.

"Run!" the Doctor yelled out, while releasing the grip on the man's arm, nudging him to move, while taking Rose's hand into his as they started to run.

The sound of guns echoed inside the room. "Everyone!" The Doctor tried to urge the men, but they were too stunned by the sight and were not able to move away, meeting their miserable fate at the beast's dinner plate. Only the proud man's footsteps could be heard, somewhere further inside the manor. The Doctor gritted his teeth in anger of the man's stupidity. Even at coming face to face with death he could not bother to trust the group and rather act as he saw fit himself.

"Come on!" Rose urged him and they ran.

* * *

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!" Sir Robert was calling out frantically, as the group found themselves near the staircase, the Doctor sonic'ing the doors shut.

"Sir Robert? What's happening?" Victoria came down the stairs. "I heard such terrible noises."

"Your Majesty, we've got to get out." Robert told her with all honesty. "But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?" he asked, concerned.

"Captain Reynolds disposed of him," the Queen breathed, looking at the side uncomfortably, Rose noted. _Must have been her._

"The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut," the Doctor announced. "Pardon me, Your Majesty. You'll have to leg it out of a window." He gestured to his side, while pressing his lips together, slightly nodding to make the point.

As soon as they entered the room, Sir Robert wasted no time. "Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first." As he moved forward next to the window.

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh," Victoria commented.

"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" the Doctor said, frustrated by such useless speech exchanges.

At that moment, Rose had a flashback of the bald men in orange clothing, just outside, shooting at the window. She opened her mouth, making a step forward in reflex, just as Robert flung the window open with the monks outside opening fire right at them. Everyone had to duck the attacks.

"I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside," the Doctor calculated, speaking in a half-whisper.

"Do they know who I am?" Victoria asked breathlessly, rubbing her collarbone to soothe herself.

"Yeah, that's why they want you," Rose breathed. "The wolf's lined you up for a-" She paused. "A biting." _Which she actually would get. _Rose considered._ Why all the fuss now, if the Empire of the wolf would still take place?_

"Stop this talk." The Queen chided her like a child. "There can't be an actual wolf."

Suddenly, the howling sound startled them all, making everyone sprung around. _Okay, maybe not that pointless after all. If that was gonna keep them all alive._

The group ran into the corridor to see the door being ripped open from the other side by the beast's claws.

"What do we do?" Rose asked in reflex. _Must be the adrenalin, _she excused herself_._ Not like she didn't know what they were going to do.

"Weee-run," the Doctor sang lightly.

"Is that all you got to offer?" Victoria asked in concern.

"Your Majesty got any silver bullets on herself?" he asked her in sarcasm.

"That I do not," she answered with her head high.

"There we are then, we run," the Doctor exclaimed. "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigourous jog." He showed an example, running in place. "Good for the health. Come on!"

They were running up the dark staircase, barely seeing where to step, only the cursed moonlight emitting a slight path for them. They could hear the snap of the doors being opened and the growls getting nearer and nearer. They were running desperately for their lives, Rose already forgetting that she lived it all once before and she knew the path ahead. Because with running, there was no logic. You just run. Run for your life. And that's what they were doing at the moment.

"Fast! Come on!" The Doctor urged them frantically, pushing them further into the hallway, Queen ahead of everyone, panting heavily with her eyes popped out. The Doctor the last, and as he saw the beast leap on the railing of the stairs, snarling at them, he quickened his pace to catch up with others.

Everyone were running with their last breaths and the Doctor was now side by side with Rose. The hot breathing of the creature just inches away from the pair. And as the last time, Rose failed to notice a damaged wooden board on the floor, making her trip, the Doctor leaning to her side.

_BANG_

The Queen's guard saved them both with a shot at the target, making it back away a few meters. Everyone was breathing heavily from all the running. Rose tried to pull herself together. _Everything's going to be alright._ She tried to soothe herself. They survived this, just like everything else. No need for her adrenalin to take over.

"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving for God's sake!" The guard choked the words out. "Your Majesty, I went to look for the property and it was taken. The chest was empty." He looked at the woman in question with alarm.

"I have it. It's safe," Victoria exhaled.

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am." The guard smiled in content. "Doctor," he called out. "You stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert." He paused. "You're a traitor to the crown," he stated.

"Bullets can't stop it!" the Doctor exclaimed frantically. For God's sake, couldn't anyone listen for once?

"They'll buy you time. Now run!" The guard didn't budge, as he pointed his gun towards the hallway.

The group ran inside towards the room, with Rose stopping at her tracks. This was it. The scene she had lived three times now. _It was wrong._ She felt her fear change into desperate need to protect the man. She could not watch this scene over and over again, while being given so many chances to change it. The guard started to shoot at it and with just a few leaps it would have reached its goal.

And then, in a spur of a moment, Rose launched herself right before the beast. It made its final leap, but then threw itself on the wall, making a backwards jump. The man stopped shooting, too stunned, and the creature gritted its teeth at the human behind the man.

The wolf wanted to rip her guts apart, but something was preventing it. That bright golden light emitting from the girl's eyes were making it weak at his feet. There was so much life in them. The wolf wanted death of her, but she was broadcasting life, that she would not be dying here, at this moment. It moved uncomfortably, pacing about, he couldn't understand, what exactly was she or what was happening to itself.

"Rose!" The Doctor's frantic voice reached her ears. She could also hear footsteps nearing. She flung her head to the side, her eyes now back to normal. She was a bit shaken, not sure how it started and much less how it ended, as she felt her hand into the Doctor's.

"Come with us." Was Rose's last words, when the man in question and the Doctor together with Rose joined the group inside the room.

"Barricade the door." Robert instructed and everyone helped him do so.

"Wait a minute. Shush, shush, wait a minute." The Doctor shushed everyone, as a lonely howl reached their ears.

"It's stopped," the Doctor whispered, looking at Rose.

"Just like with you." He furred his forehead, feeling that unsettled question about Rose making its way to the surface. Rose looked at him with pained expression. She hated to see him look at her like that. An image of her Doctor's gaze from her original timeline made her heart tighten all the more.

They heard the wolf step away from the door. "It's gone," the Doctor uttered, glancing towards the door.

"Listen." The guard spoke.

The footsteps and growls from outside the walls were heard as it walked around the room.

"Is this the only door?" the Doctor asked barely audible.

"Yes," Robert breathed and then he paused for more than Rose felt necessary.

"No!" she yelled, making her way towards the other door. Everyone dashing to block it too.

The noises continued outside the walls.

"I don't understand. What's stopping it? Why didn't it attack me?" The guard spoke frantically.

"Something inside this room. What is it? Why can't it get in?" The Doctor paced about the room, asking nobody in particular, but clearly seeking for an answer. At the same time ignoring the last question of the guard on purpose.

Rose made a step forward to the Doctor, but as she felt him stiffen, and purposely keeping his back on her, she retreated. Feeling a stab in her heart. _She messed up._ She was naive to think that maybe the Doctor ceased to doubt her. It was always there. Never leaving his eyes. The doubt. The doubt directed at her.

_It was killing her. _

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should have sent you away," Robert started with regret filling his insides. "I tried to suggest something was wrong. I thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" he asked lightly.

"Well, they were bald, athletic." The Doctor shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding to look at Rose directly.

_Avoiding her_.

She looked sideways, stifling the tears, which were starting to make its way.

"Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy," the Doctor ended blithely. Then he got a glimpse of Rose's unsteadiness. He sighed, rubbing on the back of his neck, as he walked over her.

"Rose." He approached her softly. Rose shot up her glance at him, startled. She saw his face twist, as he saw her pained expression.

"I don't know," Rose whispered. The Doctor looked a bit confused at her words. "I don't know why it stopped," Rose repeated with all honesty, which she meant, since she truly didn't know the origin of anything of this happening.

The Doctor sighed audibly, as his shoulders seemed to relax a bit, Rose noted. He held his hand up to cup her one cheek as he uttered faintly.

"_I'm sorry._"

Rose exhaled a breath she didn't know she was even holding and soon found herself in the warm embrace of the Doctor, soothing her. "I'm sorry." Whispering in her ear. She shook her head in his shoulders. _She was the one sorry._ For not telling him anything. For making him feel this way.

"What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please." The Queen's voice startled them, making them break apart. "What exactly is that creature?" she stammered, her breath heavy as she uttered the words.

"You'd call it a werewolf." The Doctor nodded, starting his smart talk, while rubbing with his hand on the back of his neck. "But technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform," he ended in a quick pace, his gaze falling upon the room.

The Queen opened her mouth, but then was interrupted by the Doctor's exclamation. "Mistletoe!" As he rushed towards the cravings on the door, Rose following him. "Sir Robert, did you father put that there?" he asked with curiosity.

"I don't know. I suppose." Robert shrugged, sitting on the chair on the other side of the room.

"On the other door, too," the Doctor wondered.

"I'll tell you what, though." The guard took his attention.

"What?" The Doctor turned to face him.

"Mistletoe," he noted.

"Yes, I just said that," the Doctor agreed, a bit lost. The guard pointed upwards with his head. The Doctor lifted his gaze to see at the pointed thing.

"Oh," the Doctor exhaled.

Rose faced upwards too, just to see the ball of mistletoe hanging on the door. Rose blinked a few times, not yet catching on. When she lowered her head to face the Doctor, she could barely note what was happening. She felt a brush of another pair of soft lips on her own, followed by a pair of hands cupping her face.

She blinked a few times. Not daring to close her eyes. And just like how it miraculously started, she felt the sensation drift apart in a split of a second. The Doctor turning his attention back on the doors, leaving Rose stand there completely speechless, with her mouth half open.

"No, a carving wouldn't be enough," he wondered in all seriousness, like nothing really had happened just a second ago. "I wonder." And with that, he lifted himself up on the chair to lick the woodwork.

"Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe. It's been worked into the wood like a varnish," he spilled it in one breath. "How clever was your dad?" he exclaimed all happily, jumping off the chair. "I love him!" he announced, making Rose jump out of her trance, and make a nervous smile. "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins." The Doctor moved towards Rose to tell her that.

"A-and the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose stammered, forcing a calm face.

"Well, it thinks it is." The Doctor seemed to not notice it in the least. "The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things," he said in one breath.

"And should I trust _you_, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" the Queen stated a question.

"Oh right, sorry, that's-" The Doctor seemed to notice only now.

"And your actions just besides the door?" She shook her body slightly, her eyes wide. Rose tensed at the words. feeling her face flush a bit.

"That's a tradition!" the Doctor cried in defence.

_Tradition. Of course._

"With your relative!" the Queen shot at him. "That's highly inappropriate."

"We-ll, that's another-" he began, tugging on his ear.

"I'll not have it. No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it. _This is not my world,_" she ended in a voice of authority, her head held high.

"Nevertheless, we've got to stop that creature Ma'am," Robert countered her. "It won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon."

"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" the Doctor muttered in sarcasm, shaking his head.

"Being rude again." Rose informed him with a smile.

_Forget the mistletoe._

"Good. I meant that one." He told her as he went forward to the bookcase. "You want weapons? We're in a library," he announced with an ease in his voice. "Books!" He held his hands up in the air to make his point. "Best weapons in the world." He sprung around to face them, putting his glasses on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have," he half-whispered, as he took some books, throwing them to Rose.

"Arm yourself."

* * *

"What are we searching for again?" the guard asked, flipping pages of the book.

"Something on wolves in here," Rose answered absentmindedly, while making herself look busy, reading a random book.

She knew which book was the right one. But she done just about enough for the day. She better stay low.

"Uh!" The Doctor looked intrigued by what he had just read, as he leapt off the chair, placing the book on the table. "Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth."

"A spaceship?" Rose spoke in reflex. Blimey, she was so accustomed to this now, that everything coming to Earth seemed to be spaceship now.

"A shooting star." Robert read the description about it.

"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked, making a hint.

"Maybe just a single cell survived," the Doctor half-whispered. "Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host." He spoke, looking at her.

"But why does it want the throne?" the guard asked.

"Imagine it. The Victorian Age accelerated." The Doctor was creating one of those serious and important atmospheres. "Starships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake," he ended in a meaningful whisper.

"Sir Robert. If I am to die here-" Victoria stood up to face Robert.

"Don't say that, Your Majesty," he pleaded her.

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself." She placed her hand in her purse.

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables," the Doctor remarked.

"Thank you for your opinion," Victoria said, a bit offended. "But there is nothing more valuable than this."

A finest white 105.6 carat diamond shined in her palm, making the Doctor's mouth slack open in awe. Rose smiled at the sight. She was sure, no matter how many times she would see it, the affect it took on people, would never fade.

"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" the guard breathed, just as mesmerised.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor exhaled, moving towards it. "The greatest diamond in the world." He smiled at the object in the Queen's hand.

"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die." Victoria told them.

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough," the Doctor muttered, before extending his hand towards it. "Can I?"

The Queen hesitated for a moment, before she handed it to him. The Doctor examined the diamond with great care.

"That is _so_ beautiful," he uttered softly.

"It _is_." Rose breathed the sight just the same as him.

"Where is the wolf?" Robert started pacing worriedly around the room. "I don't trust this silence."

"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor ignored Robert, his attention full at the Queen.

"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to the Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting," she announced.

"It looks perfect enough," Rose stated.

"My late husband never thought so," Victoria said.

"Now, there's a fact." The Doctor took his glasses off. "Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting."

"He always said the _shine_ was not quite right." Victoria spoke with nostalgia. "But he died with it still unfinished."

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. Then it clicked him. "Unfinished," he exhaled, making Rose grin. He looked from her to the stone as he collected his thoughts. "Oh, yes," he whispered, throwing the stone back to Victoria.

_That might have been a little careless. _

"There's a lot of unfinished business in this house," the Doctor spilled in a quick speed, walking backwards, his manic eyes making their way to the surface. "His father's research," he said to nobody in particular, then leaning towards the Queen. "And your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond." He was pointing a finger at her, before turning to walk inside the room frantically. "Hold on, hold on." He had his face in his hands. "All these separate things." He began to tug on his hair madly. "They're not separate at all, they're connected!" he exclaimed, spinning around in a circle, in a speed of his thoughts. "Oh, my head, my head." He was having a mad expression on his face, just like he was after the regeneration.

What did he say about not being able to control himself because of the wrong turn in regeneration? That certainly was not the case now. Rose chuckled slightly, but thankfully was left unnoticed, everyone watching the mad man with caution.

"What if this house-" He took a huge step forward to the Queen, making her stiffen. "It's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?" He was adding the speed to the conversation.

"Obviously," Victoria answered in a second.

"At least, that's what the wolf intended," he spilled. "_But_, what if there's a trap inside the trap?" He looked at her with wide eyes.

"Explain yourself, Doctor," the Queen answered, not daring to move.

"What if his father-" He was wondering with his eyes from one person in the room to another, to get everyone's attention. "And your husband weren't just telling each other stories." He made a gesture of dismissal. "They dared to imagine all this was _true_," he ended with his mouth still slightly parted and eyes wide. "And they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you-" He shook his head slightly. "But for the _wolf_." Distinguishing the last word.

The plaster dust falling from the ceiling adding impact on his last sentence. They looked up to the domes skylight to hear the growling sound.

"That wolf there," the Doctor breathed, looking at it.

With the glass in the skylight cracking, it made him snap out of it.

"Out! Out! Out!" The Doctor began running and yelling manically. Everyone were working on unbarricading the doors, resuming their running, moments later.

* * *

And there they were again, dashing through the corridor. It was catching up to them at high speed, almost grasping them, when a hot pot of boiled water with mistletoe was poured at its face.

"Good shot." The Doctor praised the woman.

"Isobel!" Robert drew his wife in a kiss. Rose ducked her gaze, as it made her remember some things.

Robert urged his wife to go back downstairs with the girls and they were back at where they left on.

"Come on." The urged everyone, dashing further inside the hallway, Robert showing the way to the observatory.

They carried on their running up the staircase, just like before, as the werewolf was slowly recovering, making a run to catch up with its prey.

"No mistletoe in these doors," the Doctor began, once the group made it to the observatory. "Because your father wanted the wolf to get inside. I just need time. Is there any way of barricading this?" the Doctor asked in an urgent voice.

"Just do your work and I'll defend it," Robert stated.

"No. I'll do the work." The guard stepped in.

"I've betrayed the throne. Let me at least die in honour." Robert looked at the man's eyes, pleading.

"You've still got a family ahead of you. I've got none." The guard formed a sad smile. "Repay your debt with your loyalty. Now, go!" As he stood there to block the doors.

"Good man," the Doctor said, before turning to the Queen. Rose looked taken aback by it. _It was just not fair. How many times a man can get killed?_

"Your Majesty, the diamond." The Doctor extended his hand.

"For what purpose?" Victoria exhaled.

"The purpose it was designed for," the Doctor said urgently.

With one last reassuring look to Rose, the guard closed the doors shut under her nose, locking them as he took a sword from a display on the wall and stood ready with the werewolf coming up the stairs.

As soon as Victoria handed over the diamond, the Doctor rushed to the control wheel of the telescope.

"Rose," he called out for her and she didn't waste time to join him.

"Lift it. Come on." He began working on the wheel. It was hard to do so, just as the last time.

"Is this necessary?" Robert asked impatiently.

"Yes it is," the Doctor said under his breath.

"Then I'll join you," Robert said firmly, as he joined on Rose's side.

The Doctor beamed at him. _Must have forgotten he existed_, Rose thought. As he didn't ask him to help them out.

Rose closed her eyes, when she heard the screams of a man being ripped apart. Victoria was already holding up her jet cross and started praying. The Doctor and Robert were lifting the adjuster with desperation.

"You said the telescope is of no use, Doctor," Robert breathed.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is. It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up." The Doctor told him, as he was still lifting the wheel.

"Power up how exactly?" Robert persisted, feeling lost of whether he was not mad, lifting up the telescope with the wolf right outside the doors.

"Moonlight," Rose said under her breath. The Doctor grinned at her, as she formed a smile on her own lips.

"Come on!" The Doctor urged them.

They watched the moon starting to shine down into the telescope lens and bouncing between the prisms, magnifying as it went. At the same time the werewolf broke in, making the trio turn around, watching it going for Queen Victoria.

"Your Majesty!" Robert tried to reach her, but he didn't have to, as the Doctor slid the diamond over to where the light hit the floor. It refracted upwards, catching the werewolf in its beam and lifting it up off the floor. The wolf turned back into a young man, hanging as if crucified in mid air, taking everyone's breath away. Queen Victoria watching it in awe.

"_Make it brighter. Let me go,"_ the man pleaded.

The Doctor blinked a few times to compose himself, as he went to adjust the magnification on the eyepiece. The man turned back into a wolf shape, howling and vanishing in thin air.

Everyone exhaled the breath. Only Victoria was looking at a small scratch on her wrist.

"Your Majesty?" The Doctor slowly approached her, looking back at Rose just before asking. "Did it bite you?"

Robert stormed his way to the Queen, now feeling nervous. "Your Majesty-"

"No, it's, it's a cut, that's all." She dismissed them, looking somehow intrigued by the cut.

_Where had the rather die than let herself be infected gone to?_

"If that thing bit you?" The Doctor cautiously made his way to Victoria.

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart. It's nothing." She held her gaze on the cut.

The Doctor was not buying it. "Let me see?" He tried for her hand, but was slapped back.

"It is nothing." She backed away a bit. "Escort me back, Sir Robert."

"Right away, Ma'am."

* * *

It was already early in the morning, when the distress ceased in the manor and everyone were informed to be present at the drawing room at 6 am, the Doctor calculated for Rose. Her and the Time Lord decided for a cup of tea just before the meeting. They had a small chat along with it, and Rose felt herself easy up as the Doctor stopped shooting her doubtful glances. Laughing and some happy yells could be heard outside the room.

_At least for the moment._

They didn't see a suspicious glare coming from the Queen herself as she passed the room. But nobody had too much of a chance to dwell on it, as the appointed time reached its existence.

In the presence of the whole household, the Doctor and Rose knelt before Queen Victoria, who was armed with a sword. The pair sharing a glance, smiling.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor of Tardis." She put the sword on the Doctor's right shoulder, then left. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate." She did same for Rose. The Doctor looked at her being knighted in amusement.

"You may stand."

"Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor thanked her with all honesty.

"Thank you." Rose bowed slightly. Her smile was a bit forced, though. She knew what was coming next.

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond. I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life." The Doctor spoke fondly. "He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave," he ended softly.

"Indeed." The Queen trailed off. "Then you may think on this also." She paused a bit. Rose could barely hold a snort. "That I am _not_ amused." She shot a glare at Rose.

The Doctor mouthed an "Oh", grimacing at his loss. Rose just grinned happily.

_Well, she may have cheated a little bit, but oh well. No real harm done._

"Not _remotely_ amused," Victoria exclaimed in an attempt to take their attention back. Rose pressed her lips together.

"And henceforth, I banish you," Victoria stated.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor was taken aback.

"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor, and now you are exiled from this empire, never to return." The Doctor looked at her with dumbfounded expression. Rose taking it in calmly.

"I don't know what you are, the two of you," Victoria continued in a whisper, stepping closer to them."Or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun. And your relationship with your cousin is giving me the shivers." At that Doctor rolled his eyes.

"And your world is steeped in _terror_ and _blasphemy_ and _death._" She was staring into the Doctor's eyes, his face solemn now. "And I will _not_ allow it," she said in a threatening voice. "You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you will survive this _terrible_ life." Rose gulped at that.

This woman really knew how to make the person uncomfortable. It made Rose itch to launch herself at her to demand her to take back her words. They will survive. With this Estate being their greatest challenge. Rose glared at the woman, declaring a mental war at her. Victoria moved a bit, frowning even, but she quickly composed herself.

"Now leave _my world_, and _never_ return." She stepped back, her giving the both of them a dangerous look.

There was a pause of some sort, when Rose leaned in to whisper to the Doctor's ear. "What 'bout the TARDIS?" The Doctor grinned at her, making her puzzled.

"Very well, Ma'am." The Doctor made a graceful bow. "We shall leave your presence at once." And before the guards could make their way to escort the pair, the Doctor took Rose's hand into his and uttered only one word.

"Run."

* * *

Once back inside the TARDIS, panting heavily from their running upstairs to where the TARDIS was _held at_ and while still trying to avoid the guns shooting at them, Rose dropped herself into the jump seat.

"That's just not fair," Rose exhaled. "All that running, and we still had to run for our lives to reach the TARDIS." They both chuckled at that.

"I know!" he sang. "But had to get inside the wardrobe at some cost. And I still think we got banished 'cos of your "cousin" thing." He shot her a look.

"So no true." She defended herself. "She didn't like the way we enjoyed the adventure." She grinned with her tongue.

"Nah." The Doctor dismissed her. "She thought that our actions were too inappropriate for her to watch."

"Are you saying we're having an inappropriate relationship?" Rose teased him, the Doctor looking at her in utter disbelief.

"Wha-. No! No, that's-" he faltered, but Rose saved him with a laugh.

"I still can't believe the TARDIS was there all the time. And how did it even fit?" Rose shook her head in disbelief while smiling. The Doctor took a breath, as he collected his thoughts.

"That was the perception filter, and TARDIS used the Time Lord's technology, making the cupboard bigger on the inside," the Doctor exclaimed all happily. "And I'll tell you what." He looked at her meaningfully, grinning.

"What?" she breathed.

"Queen Victoria the werewolf!" he sang.

"You truly believe that she is?" she teased him.

"Could be," the Doctor said lightly.

"The Royal Family of the werewolves." Rose chuckled.

"Could be." The Doctor grinned at her. "No, but really, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood. It's historical record. They used to call it the Royal Disease." He started his story while pressing buttons on the console. "Aaand her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip." They both chuckled at that.

"Although." He came to consider. "A single wolf cell could take a hundred years to mature." He backed away from the console, thinking deeply. "Might be ready by..." He trailed off. "Oh," he exclaimed. "Early 21st century?" he sang, looking at her.

"Nah, that's just ridiculous!" She laughed. "Mind you, Princess Anne," she said in all seriousness.

"I'll say no more," the Doctor joked, getting back on the console.

"And if you think about it, they're very private." Rose chuckled, slapping slightly on the Doctor's back, making him turn around. "They plan everything in advance. They could schedule themselves around the moon. We'd never know!" she sang, making him giggle. "And they like hunting! They _love_ blood sports." Now the Doctor was laughing out loud, his head pulled back as he turned to face the console again.

"Oh my God, they're werewolves!" she exclaimed, jumping of the jump seat to swirl in a circle.

Laughter could be heard outside the TARDIS doors, followed by eager wolf howls. _This was theirs everyday life._

* * *

_**to be** **continued...**_

**A technical question. If I wanted to show you a picture. I know I would have to direct you to my profile to find the link, but anyway. Where should I post that picture anyway? I have it in my computer, but I have no idea where to post it, on what site?**

**Um, and. Reviews would be nice. Like really.**


	21. School Reunion

**Thank you people for your reviews and follows and favourites and visits...all in all - everything! It really makes a person happy. Now there you are. A freshie. Hehe. **

* * *

It was lunchtime, and the dinner ladies were spooning food onto people's plates. The Doctor was moving along the line with his tray. Rose, who was undercover as a dinner lady, spooned smashed potato onto his plate and gave him a filthy look simultaneously.

_Bloody dinner lady again._

She could have been just about anyone. But no. Again with _if you want to know what's going on, work in the kitchens._ Well, he could have worked there himself then.

He just smirked at her, as he watched her.

_You gonna hear no end about it_. Rose thought, still giving him a hateful look, as he headed towards the tables shorty after, just to turn around and smirk at her some more.

Rose bit her lip in frustration.

"Enjoying, huh?" she muttered under her breath.

At his table, some time later, the Doctor had a chip speared on his fork, nibbling it, and staring at it distastefully. Rose came over with a dishcloth to wipe his table down.

"Two days," Rose shot at him in a blaming voice. Not that she was that concerned about dates. Mind you, she knew about them better than anyone here, but she was too frustrated to be sent as a dinner lady. _Again!_

"Sorry, could you just-" He completely ignored her tone and was pointing with his fork. "There's a bit of gravy." He jumped a bit inwardly, when Rose slammed the cloth at the place he was pointing at.

"No, no." He tried again. "Just there." Rose gave him a look, to which he responded with an innocent smile.

"Two days, we've been here," Rose muttered under her teeth, while slamming the cloth again. The Doctor wondered whether a cloth could kill someone. He pondered about it for some time. If it was longer then-

"Excuse me." Rose's voice, shook him of his thoughts.

"Ah, yeh. Blame your boyfriend-" he began nonchalantly.

"He's not my boyfriend for a _long_ time," Rose added.

"Right. Then ex-boyfriend. He's the one who put us onto this," he ended lightly. "And he was right," he said in a voice, asking for attention and Rose had to put her cloth away to listen. "Boy in class this morning got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth," he ended meaningfully, looking at Rose, who seemed to consider his story, but apparently wasn't.

"You eating those chips?" She pointed at them.

"Yeah, they're a bit..." He grimaced. "Different."

_Tell me about it. Poison._

"Don't eat them." She furrowed her brows and was about to go away with his chips.

"But I paid for them!" he cried.

"Not you. Your sonic did," she sang in a whisper.

"My sonic is like me. Like my soul. Whenever I go, it goes with me. So if it paid. So did I," he ended, looking all nostalgic at the memory of his sonic screwdriver, as he couldn't pull it out in the cafeteria.

"Right." Rose nodded._ Should I let him be alone with his Sonic Screwdriver from now on too?_ _Nah, I guess it was always like that to begin with._ Good ol' screwdriver. She rolled her eyes and was about to walk away with the chips, when a dinner lady approached them.

"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," she announced with an unpleasant face.

"I was just talking to this teacher." She pointed at him with one hand, another still holding the chips.

"Hello!" The Doctor greeted her, beaming.

"He doesn't like the chips. So, I'm getting rid of them-" Rose added with a fake smile.

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but Rose interrupted. "For him." She glanced at him, narrowing her eyes, making his mouth shut.

"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance," the dinner lady announced, like reading from the newspaper. "Now, get back to work," she hissed.

_Calm down you Krilitane_. Blimey, when did she start working in the kitchen with hostile aliens? She glanced at the Doctor who was smiling all happily. _Good for you, don't even know where I'm going._

With the dinner lady gone, Rose began to walk from the table.

_"_See?" Rose gestured to herself. "This is me. The dinner lady," she ended with a fake, forced smile.

"I'll have the crumble then!" he called out for her.

"I'm so gonna kill you," she muttered, but the Doctor seemed to hear her, as he left his gaze wander after her, grinning all happily.

* * *

Rose was in the kitchens, drying a tray when she spotted a few dinner ladies very very carefuly wheeling in a barrel of oil. They had masks, goggles and gloves on.

"Careful... keep it steady... don't spill a drop," one of them said.

Rose frowned. Should she go help them? No. She doesn't even have the equipment. Warn them? No, yet again. It might as well make them spill everything from the shock. And well, it was the way every one of them died anyway. _So why be concerned now?_

"I said keep it steady. Careful... that's it... easy now... steady..." The dinner lady was chanting like a mantra.

As Rose's phone rang, she pulled it out to see Mickey calling.

"What you got?" she whispered, not to get anyone's attention.

"Confirmation. I just got into army records. Three months ago, massive UFO activity. They logged over forty sightings. I can't get any photos, 'cause then it gets all classified and secret. Some Torchwood keeps locking me out," Mickey complained.

"Torchwood?" Rose squalled.

The dinner ladies turned their head to look at her questioningly. Not exactly hearing the word, but the sound coming from her mouth.

"Achoo." Rose faked it, rubbing her nose, as she hid her phone in one of her pockets.

"Rose?" Mickey's voice could be heard from the other line, but not audible enough for others.

"You. New one. Don't cause bacteria to pass on the food." One of them chided Rose.

"Sorry." Rose gave a small smile with a salute. They turned back to their barrel.

"Rose? You there?" Mickey was speaking on the phone, as Rose put it back to her ear.

"Yeh, yeh. I'm here. I was just about to tell you that it was three months ago, when all the kitchen staff were replaced." She spoke in a low voice, not showing her inner turmoil. It was Torchwood again. _Always Torchwood. _

She watched the group wheel another barrel of oil into the kitchen.

"And this lot are weird. Very weird." Rose spoke, trying to hint something was wrong out here.

"See, there's definitely something going on. I was right to call you home," Mickey pouted.

"Yeh, it seems you've become a big help to us." Rose spoke fondly.

"O-of course!" Mickey shuttered, shouting into a phone, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. Not often was he praised. And he could be so much more. Rose had to take note of that.

"Watch it!" someone from the group yelled, taking Rose's attention. Just then she saw the barrel of oil toppling over and spilling onto one of the dinner ladies, her screaming in agony and starting to smoke.

_"_I've gotta go," Rose whispered into her phone, as she hang up, watching the scene cautiously.

"Get her up, get her up!" The dinner lady was hoisted to her feet and into an office, still wailing with pain.

Rose tried to see through the partition, but the blinds were swiftly drawn once again, not letting to see through.

Rose just stood there for a while, waiting for the unpleasant dinner lady to show up. She didn't have to wait long, as the one she wanted opened the door to reveal herself.

_"_What're you doing?" she asked, pulling her mask off.

"N-nothing." Rose shrugged, bitting her lip. "Is she..." She took a breath. "Is she going to be alright?" she asked the dinner lady.

She seemed a bit confused by the girl's reaction."Yes," she just answered, before the sound of something bursting into flames, followed by the sound of something smashing and screaming and a billow of smoke from the office came through the doors.

"It's fine. She does that," the dinner lady just said, not flinching.

Rose gave a weak smile. As much as ridiculous those words there, they managed to soothe her. Just for a bit. She had to keep reminding herself that those were not real people. Just Krillitanes.

* * *

"Excuse me, colleagues...A moment of your time." Mr. Finch's voice caught the Doctor's ears, as he was sitting in the staff room.

When he turned, he saw someone he thought to never be able to see again.

"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith," Finch continued in his _sweet_ voice, while the Doctor just stared. Eyes wide, mouth slightly open, stunned to the ground. "Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times." The woman in question smiled gently, while looking around at them all.

The Doctor was gradually coming to his senses of what he was seeing, with the corners of his mouth beginning to turn upwards in a smile.

"I thought it might be useful-" Finch was still talking something, but the Doctor heard him no more. When he finally left, Sarah Jane caught the Doctor's eye, watching her, and she slowly approached him.

_"_Hello!" she said in a gentle voice, beaming even, such a warm smile.

"Oh, I should think so." The Doctor smiled at her with a tender and happy smile. _She was really here._

"And, you are... ?" she asked him.

It took a moment for the Doctor to get himself off the mesmerising sight. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Hm? Uh, Smith." His lips quivered a bit at the word. He didn't have enough time to think whether he wanted to tell her who he was, hint it to her or keep it a secret altogether. "John Smith."

"John Smith?" Sarah beamed at the name. He knew who she was remembering. "I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name." She shrugged slightly, wandering a bit in her memories.

"Well, it's a very common name." The Doctor shrugged, feeling a bit nervous himself.

"He was a very _uncommon_ man," she said the words all too fondly, reminiscing. But shortly after, she lifted her head, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you!" He shook it with enthusiasm. "Yes! Very nice! More than nice!" He shook his head in disbelief of his bliss. "Brilliant." Beaming at her.

"Um... so, um," Sarah Jane looked around, not sure how to prolong the conversation as the man himself seemed to be eager to continue it. Even if not exactly making sense. "Have you worked here long?"

"No! Um." He looked around blithely. "It's only my second day," he said honestly.

"Oh, you're new, then?" she breathed. "So, what do you think of the school?" She looked around, the Doctor's eyes not leaving her moving figure by a millisecond. "I mean, this new curriculum?" she asked him in an innocent hint, as she approached him.

"So many children getting ill." She began talking and Doctor just kept smiling at her. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?" she whispered.

"You don't sound like someone just doing a profile." He grinned at her.

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here," she ended nonchalantly.

"No. Good for you." He assured her with a smile, keeping his eyes on her, as she walked away to meet some of the other teachers.

"Good for you. Oh, good for you, _Sarah Jane Smith_." He looked at her with pride filled eyes.

Oh, how proud he was of her. She was still doing what she did best. He thought he lost them all once. That he would never see anyone of his past again, but now when he saw her, he was just once more reminded of how many brilliant people he had actually met. And he didn't even affect her life in a wrong way. She was just like how he remembered her.

He stood there in the hallway, students rushing about, and him just smiling to himself in awe.

* * *

With dark already consuming the school, the trio - the Doctor, Mickey and Rose decided it was about time for a little investigation. The Doctor opened a fire door, as he came through it into a dark corridor, followed by Rose and Mickey.

"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night," Mickey uttered, shaking slightly.

"Are you scared Mickey boy?" the Doctor asked him lightly, glancing him over.

"Of course not!" Mickey replied with a bit loud voice. "Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this."

"You could keep your voice down. For once." The Doctor chided him.

Rose rolled her eyes. "When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school." She told her story blithely, trying to break_ the fight_. Oh, the teachers did sleep at school. Just fortunately not hers.

"All right, team." The Doctor stopped at his tracks, facing them. "Oh, I hate people who say 'team'." He grimaced at that. "Um... " Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "Gang." He tried, making Rose jump a bit from the impact the word had. "Um... 'comrades'." Once more.

"Uh..." He tried, but decided that _whatever_.

Rose forgot about this episode of their lives. He surely didn't know what they were to him, huh? _Well, I'm no assistant to him._

"Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil." He was back to his usual adventurous self. "Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department. I'm gonna look in Finch's office," he announced, as he began going up the stairs. "Be back here in ten minutes!"

"What about not raising my voice?" Mickey complained.

"Oh, that's just..." Rose was now the one trying to find the right word. "The Doctor." _There._

Mickey didn't seem to feel the same though. "So he can, but I don't?" he complained.

Rose shook her head. "Not now, Mickey." She chuckled. "Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right."

"What?" Mickey asked in confusion.

"The Maths department." She made a pointed nod.

"Okay. Thank you." And he strode away.

* * *

After hearing the sounds of something living in the dark, Sarah Jane backed into a room and slammed the door behind her. She turned slowly and there, looming in front of her, was the TARDIS. Her eyes widened in shock and she backed out of the room, not believing it...

Sarah Jane stared at the closed door, walking backwards, until she slowly turned around. The Doctor was already standing there in the darkness, only the moonlight illuminating him, as he watched her.

"Hello, Sarah Jane," he said it almost in a whisper. It had been so long for him.

_"_It's you," she whispered in recognition. "Oh... Doctor..." She breathed a smile, edging towards him.

"Oh, my God, it's you, it's..." She gestured. "You've regenerated," she stated calmly.

"Half a dozen times since we last met," he joked with a warm smile.

"You look..." She smiled, then put her lips together to find the words, but then a smile spread across her face again. "Incredible," she exhaled.

"So do you." He told her tenderly. She was still with so much life.

She shrugged. "Hmph, I got old." As she edged around him, staring at him. The Doctor gave her a look that he would not battle with her over that last sentence.

"What're you doing here?" Her blunt question with a straight expression shook him a bit, but he answered it lightly.

"Well..." He trailed off. "UFO sightings." He looked somewhere in the distance, blithely. "School gets record results. I couldn't resist." He looked at her seriously, but with a hidden inside joke. "What about you?" he asked her expectedly, a smile breaking on its way.

"Same." She nodded, making both of them grin at each other. But before long, her smile faltered, and she sounded close to tears, when she spoke again.

"I thought you'd died." The Doctor's smile fading slowly too. "I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died."

"I lived," the Doctor stated. "Everyone else died," he whispered barely audible.

"What do you mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows in question.

"Everyone died, Sarah," he said in a quiet pain, gulping.

Sarah Jane shook her head in disbelief, whispering. "I can't believe it's you."

The moment was broken by the sound of Mickey wailing. Sarah Jane's and the Doctor's heads turned to the direction of the sound.

"Oh. Okay!" she breathed with eyes wide. "Now I can!" Both of them grinning and running from the gym to find the source of the scream.

Rose was just walking her way to the corridor, as she saw the Doctor and Sarah Jane run, nearly missing her completely, as she was still on the side corridor.

"Doctor!" she yelled out, as he stumbled to stop at his tracks, smiling all happily. Rose smiled at him too, although, she knew that the smile was not for her. She turned her head to see Sarah Jane looking at her questioningly, as Rose beamed at her warmly.

"Rose, Sarah Jane!" He gestured to her. "Sarah Jane, Rose." Back to Rose.

"Hello." Rose beamed at her, maybe not the same as when the Doctor saw her again after such a long time, but just as warmly in her own way. The Doctor grinned at the sight, exhaling a breath he was holding. He didn't even know that he would feel a bit nervous about them meeting each other.

Sarah Jane looked a bit uncomfortable. Rose could feel she was expecting a different reaction and this one made her chide her own self.

They shook hands. "Hello." She turned to the Doctor. "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger," she muttered. The Doctor began rubbing the back of his neck, getting uncomfortable with the situation.

Rose raised an eyebrow. _Don't complicate this Sarah Jane. I'm not not the temperamental one here now._

"I'm not his assistant," Rose snapped, maybe a bit more than she meant. But the Doctor's earlier remarks about _team_, _gang_, _comrade_ and now adding _assistant,_ made her a bit unsettled.

"No? I get you, tiger," Sarah Jane breathed, making Rose roll her eyes. The Doctor sped off, gesturing further in the hallway. At least that was an amusing sight. The Doctor getting all... Rose snorted, making him spin around.

"What?"

"'Caught a cold, maybe." Rose shrugged, covering her nose. The Doctor just eyed her, moving his neck questioningly, before he took off again.

They found Mickey in one of the class rooms, surrounded by a load of vacuum-packed rats. _Oh dear Mickey. _

"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me." Mickey spoke breathless. "You told me to investigate, so I- " He gestured to the ground, the Doctor bended down to pick one of the rats. "I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them."

"And you decided to scream." The Doctor stood up, still having one rat in his hands.

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended himself.

"Like a little girl?" the Doctor sang, grimacing in a mock.

"It was dark! I was covered in rats!" Mickey continued.

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt," the Doctor continued to mock him, gesturing at his head.

Rose stifled a chuckle, as she had a part to play. "Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this?" She looked them all over. "Rats in school?" She tried to hint.

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them," Sarah Jane muttered. "Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet." She glanced her over. "How old are you?"

_Snap_

The Doctor and Mickey looked shiftly between them.

Rose inhaled a breath. _Almost there. She would certainly snap._ Or so Mickey thought. But to everyone's surprise Rose exhaled, her shoulders relaxing.

_"_Rats are not dissected in school anymore. They haven't done that for years, and as far as I know." She shrugged nonchalantly, biting her lip. "Didn't resume to do it."

Mickey stood there, mouth open. That was not the reaction he was expecting. The Doctor was beginning to show a smile on his face.

"So!" the Doctor exclaimed, taking everyone's attention. Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

"Everything started when Mr Finch arrived. We should go and check his office." He threw the rat at Mickey, who failed to catch it.

* * *

They followed the Doctor down the corridor, as Rose decided it was time to break a small conversation. _There was just too much of dead-awkward silence in there. _

"Um. So, you used to travel with the Doctor?" Rose asked softly.

"Yes, I have." Sarah Jane glanced the girl over. She was a strange one. The looks she was giving her were so warm, but she couldn't believe it was really true.

"Has he mentioned me to you?" she nearly whispered.

Rose grimaced a bit, biting her lip. She inhaled, almost said something she didn't mean to, and then exhaled. "Not really..." She trailed off.

"Oh, I must've done! Sarah Jane! Mention her all the time." The Doctor tried to defend himself, when he saw uneasy Sarah Jane's look.

Rose gave the woman an apologetic smile, while shooting the Time Lord a look.

Sarah Jane inhaled, a bit disturbed by the thought that her long lost friend didn't bother to mention her even once. Was she so insignificant?

"I was preparing myself to laugh at you for making the missus meet the ex, but Rose's taking it a bit well." Mickey trailed off, thinking.

"Way too well," the Doctor muttered. He was getting more and more disturbed by the thoughts swirling in his mind. It should have been a good news that Rose took Sarah Jane so well, but it bothered him. He frowned at the thought. It was...unnatural. Too unnatural. He read Rose's expression over and over again, and when he found no fakeness it was disturbing him even more. He was expecting something to happen. A duel of some sort. No no no no no. He was not the type to enjoy his two dear friends fight over him, it was just something he was expecting of Rose. But how? Rose never acted that way. She was always...besides always being all too weird, she was quite composed. So where does the idea of catfight come from?

* * *

They found Krilitanes sleeping in the Headmaster's office, the Doctor not failing to point- "Rose... you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school... ? Well... they do." Just before they went outside, and now were standing in front of Sarah Jane's car.

When Sarah Jane opened the boot of her car, everyone were revealed with a covered K9.

"K9!" the Doctor cried, delighted, once the blanket was off. "Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9," he said in all happy voice. Mickey grimaced, not getting what was the purpose of that thing, Rose smiled at it. "Well, K9 Mark III to be precise." The Doctor shrugged.

Mickey glanced at Rose with an '_it's a tin dog' _sort of expression. Rose nodded at him approvingly. Mickey was kinda lost.

"Why does he look so old?" Mickey spoke up first.

"You mean disco," Rose corrected him, half-chuckling, that clearly being misunderstood as an insult to the K9.

"Oi!" The Doctor turned to look at her. "Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge!" Back to K9.

"I'm no-" Rose began, but didn't get to finish.

"What's happened to him?" The Doctor looked concerned.

Mickey glanced at Rose, still with half-parted mouth. He was almost giving her _I told you so_ expression, when Rose moved her shoulders, and put an unreadable expression.

Do people purposely get on her nerves? For once she thought she would handle the situation like a mature adult. But guess what? You can't be, when you realise that you're surrounded by children yourself. Rose sighed.

* * *

The Doctor and Sarah Jane were talking about K9 for some time, before deciding to stop by the chip shop.

The Doctor and Sarah Jane were sitting at a table by the window, chatting and laughing whilst the Doctor tried to fix K9, who was placed on the table-top. Mickey and Rose stood by the counter.

"You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said 'I told you so'." Mickey was clearly enjoying himself.

Rose's face was blank, as she watched the pair. They were laughing and giggling. Nothing new with the Doctor really. Except. He was relaxed with her. So at ease Rose didn't see him for a long time. As much as they were so close to each other at one times, on another they were worse than strangers. That haunting doubt was gone when he was talking with Sarah Jane. He was back to how he used to be in her original timeline.

It pained Rose to see the view. No, she was not jealous, mad or anything of that sort. She was sad, that she was keeping such emotions from him. She was supposed to be his pillar, his support, but now she was starting to think that she was a burden. A heavy psychological burden.

Mickey was telling her something in the background, but Rose heard nothing. She just watched them. Watched him smile, which made her make a small smile herself.

"Come, sit down." Rose felt herself being pulled by Mickey to sit near the table. She was a bit taken aback, too suddenly disturbed from her thoughts, but soon relaxed.

They got some chips on the table, and Rose soon found herself start mechanically eating them. _Not that habit again._

"You really love him, huh?" Mickey sighed. Rose shot her eyes up to look at his face, her own expression confused. "I don't think she'll get back together with him. It looks like they haven't seen each other for ages. She must have had a life of her own," Mickey continued on. Rose just blinked at him. _What was he doing? Can't be. Was he actually comforting her? _

Rose leaned back on her seat, eyes fixed on Mickey, who was still babbling something._ Did she really look that miserable?_

"I'm alright, Mickey." Her own voice came out more steady than she thought it would.

Mickey looked at her concerned, not believing. "I know that look." He pointed at her.

"'s not like that," Rose muttered. Then sighed. "She's important to him. That I know. I just..." She shrugged. "I thought I was making his life better, but now..." She shook her head slightly. "With her...now he's so at peace. With me he's like..."

"Now that is a lot of bull," Mickey joked, leaning in his seat himself. After getting a raised eyebrow from Rose, he rested his arms on the table. "I don't know how should a happy alien look like, but when I see him, I-" Mickey frowned, he was battling with himself whether to even try to help that poor man out. But when seeing Rose's expectant eyes, he just decided to drop his second thoughts away. "He looks happy with you. If that's what you worry about," he ended seriously.

"Really?" Rose asked absentmindedly, her gaze trailing off to the pair. "He looks like _he's trying to understand a universal problem, which is giving him a headache and he better off drop it_ to me," she ended faintly.

"You've really spent too much time with him." Mickey shrank in his seat.

"What?" Rose gazed back at him.

"You're even picking his miserabilities."

"A what?" Rose frowned.

"Everyone has secrets, you know? Even I have!" Mickey exclaimed. Rose gave a sceptical look.

"I do! Like..." He was thinking hard. "You don't know how I found the Doctor after you were gone for a year." He smiled all proud of himself.

"You watched the neighbourhood with your telescope and then saw his TARDIS," Rose said in one gulp.

"How did you know?" Mickey asked in bewilderment. "Okay okay, next one." He was back to thinking. "You don't know what I would have been doing today if not on this mission." He pointed at her, head held high.

Rose sighed. _Couldn't he get more predictable._ "You would have been watching the match on the telly."

"How did you know?" He furrowed his brows.

"Which you're watching now," she sang, while taking a chip into her mouth.

"Oh." Mickey blinked. "Maybe that was not the best example-"

"It's alright. Enough. Really." Rose laughed.

* * *

"I thought of you on Christmas Day." Sarah Jane was talking softly. "This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead. I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there'."

"Right on top of it, yeah," the Doctor agreed with her while tinkering K9.

"And Rose?" She glanced him over while asking.

"She was there too," the Doctor replied absentmindedly.

"She looks at you like..." Sarah was trying to find the right words. "Like she wants to say something but she doesn't."

"She's always like that," the Doctor answered, his eyes focused on K9 wires, but his mouth now stoic.

"Just like someone I know," Sarah whispered, but the Doctor caught the double meaning in her words, as he turned his head.

"Why don't you ask her?" she said faintly.

The Doctor glanced down, in thought. "She would probably not tell me anyway."

"But did you even try? To ask what's wrong?" she persisted.

"Oh, she just gives _excuses_ and makes everything a coincidence." He shrugged, brushing it off, although failing to fool Sarah Jane.

"You're _the Doctor_. You can get the answer to anything you want," she said firmly, his hands stopping to fiddle with the wires for a moment.

"You fear what you going to hear, don't you?"

He looked up at her.

"I had so many things to ask you, Doctor." She shook her head slightly. "Why did you leave me behind like that? Did you know how difficult it was to adjust with the life after everything we've been through..." The Doctor opened his mouth, but got no chance to reply. "But I see why now. You were always just running and running. Not only into the adventure, but from it too. Maybe a bit different one, but still." She smiled a bit. The Doctor was looking guilty and pain was visible in his eyes.

"_You're different with her,_" she uttered each word in a whisper, but with so much feelings.

"You barely saw us interact-" the Doctor began to brush it off with a joke.

"That's the whole point!" She leaned in to his side. "You barely spoke, but your body language never left her side. You're observing her every move - how she reacted to that boy, Mickey, to the new adventure, to meeting _me_!" She had an understanding smile on her face.

The Doctor looked away, putting his lips together and gulping, as he continued to work on K9.

"You've to face the things that bother you." She rested her hand on his arm, making him look her way.

"It can end not well," the Doctor said it in a low, sad voice.

"Then you'll just have to accept it. It's part of what life is. Everything has the beginning as everything has an end. But don't let the middle be clouded." They looked at each other for a while, intense gaze full of different emotions, until the moment was interrupted by K9 coming back to life.

"Oh, hey!" he exclaimed, drumming on the table, as he stood up. "Now we're in business!"

Sarah Jane smiled warmly.

"_Master_" K9 nodded at the Doctor.

"He recognizes me!" he exclaimed in absolute bliss.

_"Affirmative._"

"It wasn't Croydon, by the way." Sarah Jane spoke, while looking at K9. The Doctor looked at her questioningly. "Where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!"

"Where was it?" he asked curious.

"Aberdeen," she said irritated.

Realisation dawning into his face. "Right."

_Pause._

"That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" he asked hopeful. Sarah just shook her head, smiling, as Rose approached the table.

"Rose, give me-" He extended his hand.

"The oil is here." As she handed it to him. He half-turned to face her. She only gave him a pointed look at the K9.

"Okay!" he exclaimed while turning to face the tin dog to examine the liquid.

**"**_Oil. Ex- ex- ex- extract ana- an- analysing..."_

"Listen to it, man! That's a voice!" Mickey was grinning in amusement.

"Careful! That's my dog!" Sarah chided him. The Doctor gave him a warning look too.

_"Confirmation of analysis - substance is Krillitane Oil."_

"They're Krillitanes," the Doctor whispered shocked.

* * *

After explaining his team, _no matter if he hated that word_, about the suitcase of bad things that could come from the Krillitanes and realising that the children were somehow involved, the group scattered. Sarah Jane somehow managed to get Mickey to help her with the K9, while leaving Rose and the Doctor a bit behind.

"Um..." Rose thought how best to approach it. Ended not that well the last time. "Did you travel with her for long?" she asked softly.

"Who?" the Doctor replied absentmindedly while walking out of the cafe in a hurry.

"Sarah Jane."

"Does it matter?" He brushed her off.

"Well no, maybe, yeh, not exactly..." Rose began to shutter. The Doctor came to a stop to look at her. "It doesn't really, just wanted to know more about you..." She shrugged.

"It was a long time ago. It doesn't matter." He told her, trying to avoid her gaze.

"Look." Rose took a calming breath. "I get it that you had to leave her one way or another, sooner or later it would have happened. I get it. I really do." Rose was looking into his eyes. "But people _need_ to know that you didn't just drop them off. That you _cared_ for them." They looked at each other for a moment.

"Does it need saying?" His expression pleaded not to go further into this. He didn't want to have this conversation. It hurt and he was starting to get impatiently angry.

"Yes, it does." She looked at him with pleading, honest eyes. She didn't notice when and where did their conversation turn to this direction, but she knew that it passed Sarah Jane long ago.

"_Is it so much to ask_?"

"You can't ask of me that," he said faintly.

"Why not?" Rose asked in a soft whisper.

"Not you. Not you, who has so many secrets around you," he said it in a bit angry and hurt voice, looking at her with watery eyes.

His words took her by surprise, that Rose thought maybe she didn't hear him right. But once she looked into his eyes, she saw all. This was it. It's as long as they could keep this going. This was the end she feared.

The moment those words left his mouth he cursed himself silently for even letting them escape. He didn't want to hear it. And he certainly didn't want to sound so harsh. Now there was no going back.

He ran from the world, from the people and the relationships humans establish with others. But mostly of all, he ran from himself. And from _Rose_. He could've just came out straight and asked her _Who was she? Why did she know so much?_ Sarah Jane was right - he was scared. He feared the day everything would come out to the open and everything would change between them. He feared the things he would find, once he got his answer.

For all he knew, she was the most compassionate, loyal, more than it was needed for her own good, someone who brought light in his life, after he saw the darkest bit. Her smile always making him smile himself. And the only thing shadowing her, was that _secret._ The one she was keeping from everyone around her. But even in his deepest guesses, he couldn't find anything what would cause harm to anyone. Whatever her secret was, she could keep it to herself, right? Because she was not a threat. She was a gift. And the only way he could keep her by his side for a bit longer, even if for just a bit, was if he let it slide.

_But he couldn't._

Of course he couldn't. Because it was the curse of the Time Lords. He was doomed to be left alone one day, and he was someone to always get his answers to the question. So why would it be any different now? He had only one answer.

"_Rose_."

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Yeh, I'm doomed with 2 parts lol. What are your thoughts on this one?**

**P.s. Technical question. I have seen stories with more categories than 2. And I have even seen my own on other people's profilies with 3 categories. But how is it possible? I'm allowed only to choose 2. And only 2 characters names appear. **


	22. School Reunion Continuation

**Sorry for the delay! Was lost. Had to find inspiration. Well. Here it is!**

* * *

He felt like his whole soul was coming bare before him. She touched his broken hearts in a way he didn't even dream anyone would be able to. He was an ancient being, a Time Lord, the Oncoming Storm, but he felt so small besides her. And so big the other times. She gave him life, reason to fight and live again, to show compassion to others. And she was slipping away.

He hated her secret. And he hated himself for not being able to let go, for his mind not being able to let him live in peace and not question it. She knew too much. She felt non human. But she was far more human than anyone else.

_Don't look at me like I'm the whole world to you. _It was too much for him. Such intense eyes, filled with devotion and desperation. She was not saying anything, but her eyes were shouting at him. Just like that time at Game Station. Before she was...He closed his eyes in memory.

Rose watched his every move, cautiously. When he closed his eyes and gulped, she felt worry fill her whole. What was wrong? What will he tell her? Will she finally have to leave him? No. Anything but that. Not after everything she had been through. Not after crossing dimensions just to be able to live her life with him again. He was too much important. _They_ were too much important, even if he didn't know it yet.

Oh, but he knew. And the moment he opened his eyes Rose could see it all. Pain, anger, desperation, need, gratitude, even love. Yes, it was there. It was always there. She may have refused to believe it was actually there the previous time, but it was there for sure. He loved her as she did love him.

Rose leaned her head to the side as she bit her lip from trembling more. She watched the man she loved from all her heart battle with himself. He couldn't accept his feeling yet. That she knew. The feeling of watching her age - whither and die was too strong as of yet.

Well, it was not so much of a surprise, really. Her Doctor could fully relax and give in to live for the day only after Krop Tor. It was one of the scariest things they had experienced. The first time they were losing hope to see each other again, to see home. The second being final, as she let go of that lever. But now she could only see one thing.

_He didn't want to lose her. _

And that was enough. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered almost not audible, her voice wavering and eyes so sad.

It made the Doctor blink in surprise, lips slightly parted. His precious pink and yellow human was actually scared of losing him. _Him._ Whatever the thoughts he had had before, quickly passed away. His mouth began to quiver in a smile as he exhaled a relief filled breath.

"You're not losing me any time soon, Rose Tyler." He told her in a confident voice, as his one hand lingered on her cheek, caressing it a little.

Rose smiled at him slightly as she savoured the touch. They were alright. There will always be her and him.

_Forever. Right?_

* * *

Mickey and Sarah Jane were sitting on her car's booth, talking and Mickey realising his place in their team.

"Oh my God. I'm a tin dog." He sat there, completely devastated, as the realisation hit him. Sarah Jane just patted his back, comforting.

"I can't believe it. Is that all I am?" He shook his head in disbelief. Then he suddenly stood up to see the pair talking intensely to each other. Or they should have been talking. Mickey frowned. They were not. They were just staring at each other.

"What are they doing there?" Mickey asked.

"I think you should leave it for them to work it out," Sarah said gently.

"But they have stopped. They are not doing anything!" Mickey gestured to them.

"Let them have their moment..." Sarah Jane tried to hint him, but failed completely.

"If they just wanna stand there, doing nothing, I might as well come out and ask." He began to march towards the pair. Only a simple gesture of the Doctor caressing Rose's cheek, stopped Mickey a bit in his tracks. It seemed affectionate. Such a simple thing could have made anyone shy, but Mickey was completely oblivious to it.

"Oi, Time Lord!" he called out for the Doctor. "How-" he began, as the pair backed away from each other.

A sudden, faraway voice startled the group.

"Time Lord," Mr. Finch exhaled, standing on the roof himself. It took everyone's attention, as the Krillitane screeched and swooped down towards them. They had to duck its flying attack above their heads. But to everyone's surprise, the alien did not even try to reach its prey, just flying through the air.

The Doctor looked at it in concern, Rose still holding onto the Doctor's coat sleeve as she tugged on it just moments ago instinctively.

"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah was first to ask.

The Doctor watched it fly away, measuring its intentions. It was weird.

"What was that all about?" Mickey added. The same thing was on the Time Lord's mind, but... _first thing's first._

"Broadcast it next time, would you?" the Doctor shot at him, annoyed.

"What did I do?" Mickey cried in defence.

The Doctor just gave him the _find out yourself_ look.

* * *

The next morning, with the school bell going off and the children flocking towards the building, the group gone out of Sarah Jane's car and were now striding towards the school. The determined atmosphere surrounding them. The Doctor paused only for a moment to give instructions.

"Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room," he began, watching the school building intensively, as he pulled out his sonic. "Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this." Handing it to Rose.

The moment she saw the sonic extended towards her, it took her by surprise. Was he really giving it to her? As if answering her silent question or maybe just by urging her, the Doctor waved it a bit to make his point to take it. And she took it. Carefully, like it was the biggest treasure. And it was. But there was so much more to it. He trusted it to her this time. _Why?_

"Mickey. Surveillance. I want you outside," the Doctor said firmly, as he began walking forwards.

"Just stand outside?" Mickey complained.

"Here, take these." Sarah Jane chucked him her car keys. "You can keep K9 company."

"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack!" the Doctor added.

"But he's metal!" Mickey extended his hands in the air.

"I didn't mean for him!" he shouted back at him, not stopping his pace.

"What're you gonna do?" Rose asked, as she caught up with him. _He had really long legs. Too long._

"It's time I had a word with _Mr Finch_." He spoke of his name in a bit of disgust.

* * *

Back in computer lab, Rose was crouched beneath one of the computer desks and bleeping the sonic screwdriver.

"Rose?" Sarah Jane's voice startled her and she accidently hit her head on the desk.

"Ouch." She sat up on the ground, rubbing her head.

"Oh dear. You alright?" Sarah squatted down to look at her. "Didn't mean to scare you." She looked concerned and a bit guilty, checking her head with her hand.

"It's alright." Rose smiled at her warmly.

Sarah sighed at that, as she lowered her hand from Rose's head.

"I really am." Rose confirmed, thinking that she did no believe her.

"It's not that," Sarah began, as she stood up to lean on one of the desks. "Did you...properly talk with him?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. She felt a bit uncomfortable to ask.

Rose looked at the woman questioningly.

"Doctor," Sarah Jane added meaningfully.

Rose bit her lip, unsure what to tell her, as she stood up. "We did..." she began slowly, her head lowered. "But not everything I can tell him..." She trailed off.

"Why not?" Sarah asked softly.

"There are some things, Sarah, things that cannot be revealed yet. It's too soon," Rose whispered.

"Who are you?" Sarah stated her question blankly.

It shook Rose a bit. This woman could really be straightforward sometimes. "Just the Doctor's companion." Rose shrugged, smiling slightly.

Sarah shook her head. "You eyes are ancient. They feel like his. They have witnessed lost of something important, which couldn't compare even to any adventure." She spoke her words wisely that it made Rose's mouth fall open. She always looked up to her. Well, not always, but from the moment Rose came to really know her, she understood that if there was someone she could take advice from, it was her.

Sarah just smiled in understanding. "I might not be as old as him, but I have seen life with him and without. I know that longing look." She paused a bit. "What are you not telling him?" she asked. Rose was not sure where this woman had her confidence come from. Rose was not even telling the Doctor but now she expected her to tell.

"I'm repeating my timeline," Rose stated, with a bit of a smile on her face. Sarah could only put a confused look. Well, it was understandable.

"I don't..." She shook her head.

"I have travelled with him for a year and half," Rose began. "When something happened...something..." she stopped, considering her words, and calming herself down. "Something which separated us," she finally said faintly.

"I thought I would never see him again, you know?" She looked at the woman with pained expression. Sarah just let her continue. "But somehow, and I'm not sure how, as I still don't know anything about it. Somehow my conciousness was sent back to the moment I first met him."

Sarah Jane frowned at that.

"I've met you before too, Sarah, that's why I see you as a friend already." Rose spoke fondly. She felt that she was not very convincing, that there was something amiss. She inhaled, continuing to speak. _Let's come clean then, shall we?_

"I have never heard anything about you from the Doctor. And I'm sorry to say that. I really am." She looked at the hurt Sarah's expression. "But I know you have met mummies, robots, daleks, dinosaurs and even The Loch Ness Monster!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm at the end.

"Oh my..." Sarah looked at her in disbelief. "How did you..." She covered her mouth. "Is it...Is it really true, what you say?" She edged closer, looking at her.

"Yeh." Rose nodded softly.

"And he doesn't know?"

"No. I can't tell him," Rose whispered.

"No, of course not. It would disturb the whole timeline." Sarah drifted away, looking at the ground.

"Can I... trust you?" Rose asked in a pleading voice. At that, the woman was a bit shaken, not sure what she meant, but seeing the girl's look she formed a gentle smile.

"Of course. I'll keep it to myself. Until the day you think he's ready."

"Thank you," Rose mouthed the words, as she found tears filling her eyes.

"Oh, dear. Everything is going to work out." She embraced Rose, soothing her, rubbing her back.

"I just- I fear to loose him again." Rose sobbed silently, her voice cracking, as she hugged her.

"You will not," Sarah Jane stated in a confident voice, holding Rose at her arms length now. "If the universe sent you back to him at such lengths, it will not rip you apart again. Just fight for it."

"Yeh. I'll. Always." Rose brushed her tears away, smiling at her friend.

"Feeling better now?" Sarah asked her gently.

"Yep." Rose nodded, laughing a bit. Sarah Jane smiled back at her in contentment.

"So..." She trailed off. "Did we-" She gestured.

"What?" Rose asked, feeling a bit lost.

"Did we get along well the first time?" the woman asked, curiosity taking over.

Rose snorted at the memory. "No." She shook her head, smiling. "We had a nasty raw with each other, before finally coming to terms with one another."

"Oh my." Sarah placed her hands on her lips, as she began to laugh again. "The Loch Ness Monster?" she asked faintly.

Rose nodded, laughing. Sarah joining too. After a few moments she asked again. "Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" She looked around, making a disturbed face at the memory.

"Yeah!" Rose exhaled, laughing. "Yeah! He does!" Sarah was now laughing out loud. "I'm like, _do you two wanna be alone_?" Rose played the part, making Sarah laugh all the more.

"And he does that with his sonic screwdriver too!" Rose cried between laughs. "And I didn't even notice until yesterday, as he moped over it, not being able to hold it in the cafeteria."

Both women were laughing madly, when the Doctor came rushing in the room.

"How's it going?" he asked, concerned.

The sight of him made the pair laugh even harder_. _Sarah bending over slightly, Rose clenching on the sonic, both mouths open.

"What?" the Doctor asked, completely oblivious to the situation. "Listen." He looked sideways. "I need to find out what's programmed inside these." All serious.

It never ceased to amuse them. Rose was pointing the sonic screwdriver at him, while laughing hysterically, Sarah doing her own fair share herself.

"What?" the Doctor asked, genuinely confused.

More laughs.

"Stop it." He frowned, feeling uncomfortable.

* * *

After the pair calmed down, the trio was back to work. The Doctor, sonic screwdriver clenched between his teeth, ripping a handful of wires out of a computer and hanging them around his neck, as he ran the sonic screwdriver along the back of the computer. Sarah Jane watched him the whole time, looking slightly anxious herself.

"I can't shift it." The Doctor shook his head, anxious, looking at the wires frantically. Rose could only look at his side from the doorway, as she was put on the lookout.

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah said, worried.

"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's gotta be something inside here," he spilled. "What're they teaching those kids?" he muttered between his teeth.

Sarah turned around to face Rose, who smiled at her sadly and shook her head slightly. Sarah sighed. It must have been too difficult for Rose to hint it for the Doctor.

After a few moments, every computer in the class lit up, glowing green with the code and cube swirling around in a high speed.

"You wanted the program - there it is," Sarah exclaimed.

The Doctor was staring at the wide screen on the wall. "Some sort of code..." he whispered, totally mesmerised by the sight, as he slowly approached the wall.

"How bad it is?" Sarah whispered to Rose.

"_Very,_" Rose just mouthed, making the woman gulp and squeeze Rose's hand, as if assuring her but maybe taking it for herself.

They must have gone out safely from this one. That's all she could think of to calm herself down with.

The Doctor still staring at the code, eyes wide and mouth slightly open._ "_No... no, they can't be..." He looked at it in horror. "The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm." He looked at the screen with wide eyes.

"The Skasis what?" Sarah whispered, confused.

"The... " He stopped for a millisecond to find the word. "God-maker. The universal theory." He lowered his head, his eyes hardening at the sight. "Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe." He was once again looking frantically at the writing, his voice slightly shaking. "Time and space and matter, yours to control."

"And the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose whispered.

"Yes," the Doctor breathed. And the next moment began pacing around the room, as he tried to work it out.

"And their learning power is being accelerated by the _oil_!" he exclaimed. "That oil from the kitchens, it works as a- as a..." He gestured with his hands, searching for the word. "Conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer," he ended, leaning his hands on the table.

"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah asked.

"No, it's gotta be children." The Doctor shook his head in a whisper. "The God-maker needs imagination to crack it." He smiled sarcastically. "They're not just using the children's brains to break the code..." he exhaled helplessly, walking away. "They're using their souls," he said painfully, looking back at them.

"Let the lesson begin." Mr. Flinch walked into the room. The Doctor turned to face him.

"Think of it, Doctor," he began meaningfully. "With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it." He was approaching the trio slowly. Rose gave him a dangerous look.

"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch," the Doctor said sarcastically. "Call me old fashioned." He grimaced a bit. "But I like things as they are."

"You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for _good_." Mr. Finch was speaking in his sweet voice.

"What, by someone like you?" the Doctor asked him sceptically, as he laughed a bit.

"No..." the Krilittane whispered. "Someone like _you,_" he said in a luring voice.

The Doctor kept silent. It was not the answer he was expecting.

"The Paradigm gives us power," Mr. Flinch continued, happy to get the wanted attention. "But you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do-" He took one step forward. "Think of the civilizations you could save." Locking the Doctor's gaze to his. "Your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn."

The Doctor said nothing, just gulped at the words.

"Doctor, don't listen to him." Sarah tried to make sense to him.

"And you could be with him throughout eternity." Mr. Finch walked at both Rose and Sarah. "Young... fresh... never wither, never age... never die." Rose glanced at him with a dark look. "Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes." Looking back at the Doctor. "How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us."

The Doctor was looking at the distance. He was so terribly temped. His people... his home planet... his... she could stay with him forever... His mouth was quivering, not daring to say anything yet, but having no will to deny the fact either.

Rose couldn't watch it anymore. She took a step forward, before the Doctor could even begin to say the words, which would torture him later on, for even being said by him.

"You may have taken the form of humans, but you certainly don't know us." She spoke calmly, taking Mr. Finch attention. The Doctor looked at her too, surprised.

"Don't you want to stay forever with him?" Mr. Finch spoke again, making Rose tilt hear head, as she gulped, but not enough to waver her. Of course she wanted! She even promised him! And... she knew it was not forever forever... just her forever, which was obviously not enough. But even so! How dare he?

"That's not for you to choose. And not for some _code,_" she spat the last words, getting anger ahead of her. "You can't even imagine what a person can done alone, once determined." She held her gaze strong.

"I'll create my forever myself." As her gaze travelled sideways to meet the Doctor's totally stunned face. She gave him a reassuring smile and that was enough for him to recover.

It gave Sarah enough time to think of a plan to run out of the room. She took one of the chairs and crashed it into the wide screen, making every computer shut off.

"Out!" the Doctor cried, taking Rose's hand to drag her out, together with Sarah, leaving frustrated Krilittane alone in the broken room.

* * *

Kenny, the boy whom Mickey found banging on the glass door, just before he crashed inside with Sarah's car, and Mickey himself met the Doctor, Rose and Sarah Jane at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's going on?" Mickey asked looking frantic.

The Doctor looked wide eyed at the approaching Krillitanes from the sideway corridor. The three Krillitanes were half flying, half groping their way along the corridor to them. The Doctor and the others turned on their heels and now were running in the opposite direction. The Krillitanes were flying at high speed. Almost there, but never quite reaching them.

They found themselves at the canteen, but all the doors were locked. The Doctor still tried to reach inside his coat for his sonic, but just at the same moment Mr. Finch burst through the doors, followed by several Krillitanes, shrieking dangerously at them.

"Leave the Doctor alive." Mr. Finch instructed his _mates._ "As for the others... you can feast," he spat.

At the same moment Krillitanes swooped down on them. The Doctor tried to beat them off with a chair, Rose was doing the same on the other side, while others were screaming and ducking out of the way. Rose soon found her chair in the grasp of Krillitane, she backed away, startled.

It snarled at her, the chair flying at her with the light's speed, seconds later. She fell down from the impact at her head.

"Rose!" the Doctor called out for her in worry, as he saw her down.

"'Am fine!" She assured him, while slowly standing up. Well, her head was spinning a bit, though. She held her head in her hands, shaking it a bit to get her focus back.

The Doctor gazed back at the Krillitanes, anger forming its way, as he hit one of the Krillitanes right at the head, making it fly off backwards, hitting the ground, moments later.

Before long, K9 was there too, beaming the red light at them, making them drop dead on the floor. Mr. Finch roared furious with rage at the sight.

"K9!" Sarah exclaimed in delight of seeing her friend.

_"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress."_

"Come on!" the Doctor urged everyone to run after him, leaving K9 shooting at the Krillitanes again and again.

"K9, hold them back!" the Doctor yelled out for him just before leaving the room.

_"Affirmative, master. Maximum defence mode!"_

With everyone out, the Doctor slammed the doors shut, locking them with his sonic screwdriver. After running through few corners, they found themselves in one of the classrooms, the Doctor leaning against the teacher table, deep in thoughts.

_"_It's the oil!" A sudden brainwave hit him. "Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil! That's it!" He was looking at everyone with his manic eyes. "They've changed the physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?" He looked at Rose frantically.

"Barrels of it."

They jumped, as the Krillitanes started pounding on the locked door, their claws ripping holes in it.

Sarah was looking genuinely scared, Mickey was trying to look tough, Rose was shaking her head, trying to make her view focused, but failing miserably. Everything was a bit of a blur. But she couldn't let others be aware of that now. They had more important things at hands than some head spinning.

"Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey-" the Doctor began, looking at the claws, ripping through the doors.

"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey sighed helplessly.

"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school." He instructed Mickey, looking at him only for a moment before turning his attention at the door. "Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?" The Doctor was muttering to himself.

Mickey and Rose watched as Kenny strided over to a fire alarm, breaking the glass with his elbow and setting it off. The Krillitanes immediately winced and quailed at the shrill sound. The Doctor beamed at the effect it gave, as he flung the door open, running past the Krillitanes, who were too much distressed to hurt the running group. Well, running group plus one stumbling at the walls.

Finch, gritted his teeth as he glared at Rose, resting for a moment on the wall. _Clearly not the best moment._ He began to move at her, but with the last effort she kicked him in the stomach, making him snarl at her, as she half ran towards the group.

After a few moments the sound of the alarm stopped and Rose knew they would soon catch up to her. She was too slow. Her head was pounding, she could only hid herself somewhere safe. Running was not the option anymore. She rubbed her temple with her palm and saw it painted red, once she withdrew it. She chuckled sadly.

"Really jeopardly-friendly." She stumbled upon the walls, supporting herself. As she heard the hissing sounds nearing, she hid herself on the side hallway. She could only pray they would be too focused to follow them to notice her. Or she was finished.

* * *

Once the Doctor, Sarah Jane, K9 and Kenny had reached the kitchens, the Doctor immediately held his sonic screwdriver to one of the oil barrels.

"They've been deadlock sealed!" he exclaimed, clearly unhappy with the results. Then he tried another in desperation. Not working again. _"_Finch must've done that - I can't open them."

"Where's Rose?" Sarah Jane's voice caught the Doctor's ears. He turned to face her, searching the room.

"Where's she?" he whispered, feeling a bit scared.

"She did not come with us," Mickey exhaled, as the realisation hit him.

"What do you mean she didn't?" the Doctor yelled at him. "I saw her running just as we got K9!" he cried, looking frantically at him.

"No. She was not present at that time." Sarah shook her head too.

"What are you talking about!?" the Doctor cried. "I sa-" he started, when he began to go through his memories of the past couple of minutes and it didn't make sense to him. One time he was sure that he ran the last with K9, Rose just ahead of him, the next, she was nowhere present.

He closed his eyes as if shaking the memory to fall into pieces. But he did not have time to dwell on it.

"You both, out the back door. K9, stay with me." He instructed.

Sarah Jane, Mickey and Kenny ran to the backdoor, leaving the Doctor crouched before K9.

_ Where was she? _There was no time to waste_. _He looked at K9 like he would give him the answer.

* * *

At the same moment Rose was sitting on the cold school ground, leaning on the wall. She could hear the ripping sounds of the flesh being torn apart. She winced at the thought. She had to get away. They had no time to spare for her search. She had to move on her own.

She pulled herself together, still staggering a bit, but after a short rest, should have been possible to move. There were shadows of the Krillitanes, somewhere on the other side of the corridor.

Rose slowly peeked over the edge of her wall, to see the group _occupied_. It's now or never. And with that, she dashed further into the corridor, trying to not make a sound as much as possible.

She ran further and further until finally she reached her destination - the kitchen. He should still be there.

* * *

_Where had she gone?_ He had to find her. The Doctor was moving the vats of oil within easy shot of K9. He gritted his teeth at the thought that he had to choose the priority now. Any minute now the Krillitanes would come running at this very place, if the trap was not set yet, everything would be for nothing.

The thoughts of abandoning the barrels were swirling around his mind. Was she even alive? Did she meet her fate while he was busy moving barrels here? He abandoned her.

_No._

He would find her, no matter what. As he continued his work with desperation.

_"Capacity for only one shot, Master. For maximum impact, I must be placed directly beside the vat."_

"But you'll be trapped inside." The Doctor rushed to his side.

_"That is correct."_

"I can't let you do that." He looked at him worriedly.

_"No alternative possible, Master. You must find mistress."_

The Doctor looked at him in disbelief. She was already recognised by K9.

"No need finding me. 'Am here." Rose's breathless voice echoed inside the room.

The Doctor sprung around at once. "Rose!" He ran towards her to hug her briefly, as he exhaled a breath of relief, smiling in contentment.

As he let go of her, only then he noticed a blood stain on her temple. His face twisted at once, horrified.

"No time." Rose chided him. And soon a sound of the screeching Krilitannes in the background reached them. He glanced at her frantically before running of to K9, for one last goodbye.

_"_Goodbye, old friend," he whispered.

_"Goodbye Master."_

"You good dog." He told him fondly, in a soft voice.

_"Affirmative." _He waggled his ears and tail. The Doctor patted him once more and rushed out of the room, taking Rose with him.

Just as the Doctor emerged outside with a very unsteady Rose and slammed the door behind him, locking it with the sonic screwdriver, Sarah met them there.

"Rose!" she called in relief, but soon her face twisted in worry. "Where's K9?" she asked urgently.

"We need to run," the Doctor said urgently, urging her. "Can you do that?" He looked at Rose.

"Yeh. Don't worry about me." She confirmed him with a nod. He wasn't very convinced, but he let go. They had to get away after all.

"Where is he?! What've you done!?" Sarah cried, losing hope. The Doctor had to grab her to pull her away.

The Doctor grabbed hers and Rose's hand and the trio started to run for their lives. Just like always.

And then, the school exploded. The children assembled outside, all burst into cheer and applause.

Everyone were cheering and chanting 'Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!', patting him on the back. Only the the Doctor and Sarah Jane stood separate from the merriment. Sarah Jane looking distraught. Rose backed away to the side, letting them have their moment.

She walked towards Mickey, who was yelling happily at the sight. Only when he witnessed Rose's state did his smile drop.

"Oh my God, Rose." He rushed to her side. "Do-" he began to shout for help, but she placed a palm on his mouth.

"Don't."

"But you are all bloody and-" he began, but seconds later found Rose's arms wrapped up against him.

"Just let me rest. And leave them be," she whispered. "Please." And with that Mickey just held her in surrender. He took one last glance at the Doctor as he held Sarah's sobbing form. Mickey frowned at that. He was furious at the Doctor. What bloody Doctor was he, if he left injured person be, and instead was busy snuggling with another woman.

_Just what did Rose see in him?_

"Don't." Rose's voice reached him.

"Don't what?" Mickey asked, confused.

"Don't blame him."

_Great. She was still defending him._

"It's nothing. It's just a graze. I'm not that fragile." She didn't want him to see her like that. She could take care of herself. She had to, if she wanted to survive the final battle. She had to be strong enough by herself.

* * *

After everything calmed down, Rose snuck out to the TARDIS bathroom, just before everyone else came inside it and took care of her wound.

It was not that deep really. Well, TARDIS might have helped her a bit by bringing a gel to her side, but overall, everything was fine. Really. Only that...headache. Was a bit off...

* * *

"Cuppa tea?" The Doctor gestured to the TARDIS, as he stood there, outside with Sarah.

She was very surprised to see the newly decorated TARDIS, but she found it nice. While Sarah Jane was looking around, taking her new surroundings, Rose approached them in the console room. All her clothes changed, and her body free of any redness.

"Oh, Rose." Sarah was first to notice her as she met her in a hug. Rose responded just as warmly.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked seriously. Rose chuckled at that. "Yeh. Good as new," she joked. Sarah smiled a bit at that. The Doctor was watching the two cautiously. He wanted to say something, but it felt like he didn't have place in there to butt in, so he found himself busy with the console.

"Don't disappear on him like that," Sarah whispered to Rose, as both of them walked further away from the console.

"Eh?" Rose asked, a bit lost.

"He was a great mess when he found that you were not in the room." Sarah smiled at her gently.

"He was?" Rose grimaced a bit.

"Oh yeh."

"I should apologize then," Rose whispered.

"You can do that later." She smiled warmly at Rose. "It's time for me to go now, but if you need me for anything - find me." Sarah squeezed Rose's hands tightly. "I'm on your side."

"I'll." Rose gave her a reassuring smile. "And thank you."

* * *

Somewhere in the middle, Mickey decided that he wanted to travel with them. Maybe feeling overprotective of Rose from the last scene he had witnessed, Sarah Jane already left at her home, with a newly restored K9, and now only Rose and the Doctor were present in the console room. Mickey exploring the width of the TARDIS.

As the Doctor was fiddling with the console buttons, Rose just sat there on the jump seat. Her head was still a bit spinning, but now not from the bump. Her mid was uneasy, and she wanted desperately to let go of that feeling.

"Doctor?" she called out for him in almost a whisper.

"M?" he answered her absentmindedly.

"Can we talk?" she asked softly.

"About?" Still not turning.

"Me," she ended flatly. That made him turn around to face her.

"What about-" he began, then his face twisted. "Your head!" he exclaimed. "How's it? Does it hurt? Did you hit it hard? No, you couldn't know, I need to bring you to the med bay-" he began his blab, which just made Rose chuckle.

The Doctor glanced at her with horror filled eyes. "Did you hit it hard?"

"Forget the head." Rose dismissed him. "I don't want to talk about _that_."

"We don't need to talk! If you don't want...But I need to check you out." As he grabbed her hand, ready to drag her out. Rose was still chuckling at his reaction, when a sudden fear wave hit her.

_He would scan her. NO. She couldn't let that happen. _

She let herself lose of his grip, as she sat there in the jump seat. Her face unreadable. The Doctor looked at her like she gone mad.

"Let's just talk, yeh?" she pleaded him with her eyes. The Doctor just rubbed the back of his neck, as he sighed, leaning on the console while looking at her, his hands in his pockets.

"Fine."

"I lied to you." Was her first words, making the Doctor shiver inwardly at once.

_What did she lie to him about? _All kind of horrible thoughts swirling in his head. But it didn't take long, because soon Rose continued.

"I think it's fair, that you know it."

"Know what?" he whispered. Quite a bit scared to hear the rest.

"I lost someone," Rose began faintly, playing with her fingers, fidgeting. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, letting her continue, but unsure where was this coming from.

"He was my..." Rose struggled with the words. Friend? Comrade? Gang member? Teammate? _Oh, she's catching his flu of the lack of words. _"Partner," she finally exhaled.

The Doctor raising an eyebrow at her. "We used to travel together," she continued, the Doctor just nodded slowly.

"He...He showed me how much more there was to the world. He showed me the universe!" She smiled at him with her watery eyes, the Doctor just nodded in understanding. Taking her words as metaphor.

After a short pause she continued. "He was the one who introduced me to aliens," she stated calmly.

_Pause._

The Doctor just stared at her like she had grown a second head. _What?_ Did he hear her right? Did she just-

"Yes," Rose answered to his thoughts. "I'm not new to alien life." She shook her head slightly, smiling. "And a year ago wasn't the first time I saw them." She looked at him apologetically.

The Doctor was showing unreadable expression. His gaze somewhere in the distance. It was quite blank. It looked like it needed more information, because now, this one, just made him stay stunned to the floor.

"I've been travelling in time for 2 and a half years, Doctor." His name, coming from her mouth shook him. He gazed at her and saw all her words play out in her eyes. Such deep emotions and all that knowledge. It was it. The answer he wanted. The answer he feared just came out of her mouth when he least expected.

He truly didn't know how he felt about it, though. He was glad, of some sorts. That it was not some kind of, UNIT or another governor organisation out there to hunt him and sent this pink and yellow human at him. And that was only a guess on his part. One of the possibilities he thought would have been possible. No matter how unfit Rose would have looked working for UNIT. Or wasn't she?

_Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth_

_Where did that thought come from?_ He shook his head, closing his eyes to shake the thoughts away. Then he started to pace around the console room, walking in circles and triangles, his hands free off his pockets. Suddenly coming to a stop to stare in the distance.

So he _should_ have been glad. But what was that other emotion? Something in his stomach. Something in his head was working out the facts. He frowned at the thought that he was not the first to show her the universe. So he was not so special to her after all? His gaze darkened even more at that.

"Doctor?" Rose asked cautiously.

_Oh, no. This wasn't a good sign, right?_ He didn't like that she had witnessed aliens before._ Will he tell her to go home now? Was he disappointed?_ Rose frowned, being unable to read his expression. And just when she was edging to press her hand on his arm, he abruptly turned to face her, his eyes wide, mouth eager to ask the question.

_"_You said aliens and time travel," he stated, looking at her frantically, pointing at her direction. Rose was too startled to process things so she just nodded.

"How?" He frowned, as he asked.

"W-what?" She shook her head, missing the point.

"How were you able to travel through time?" he asked her in a serious, impatient voice. "If I hadn't met your family, I could have thought that maybe you were not from this century, but now that clearly being not the case and as there are no time travel in this time as of yet, weeell..." He came to a stop to consider, looking upwards. "There's always me, right?" Asking nobody in particular. "Anyway! Now that it's not me-" He trailed off. "How in the world were you able to travel through time!?" ended the last sentence with a raised eyebrow, a bit of curiosity added.

Rose chuckled slightly, making the Doctor stare at her intensely. Oh, the irony of that. _It has always been you!_ She wanted to shout at him.

"Well," she started slowly, locking his gaze to hers. "He was not from..._here,_" she ended a bit mysteriously. The Doctor was giving her the look that it was not enough. Rose gulped, glancing sideways.

"He had a ship, of some sort." She shrugged, trying to play innocent.

"A ship," the Doctor repeated flatly.

"Yep," Rose ended with a _p. _

"So what's that ship called?" he persisted. Now that was the hard part. _Couldn't he just let her go?_

"I'm not sure..." She glanced to her shoes. "He always..." She bit her lip, looking sideways. "There was just a lot of things I didn't know about him, yeh?" She looked at him, pleading that he would drop it.

But he didn't. Or not entirely. "And you were alright with that?" he asked in disbelief. "Not knowing where you're going, how you're going, just trusting a complete stranger and swooning off?" he raised his voice in concern at the end of the sentence.

"Sounds hell of a lot like someone I know," Rose sang in a whisper. The Doctor frowned at that. Then the realisation hit him.

"Rose! Do you do this all the time!?" he half-shouted at her, making her jump a bit, as her head shot up to face him.

"Doing what?" she snapped.

"Running off with strangers!" he cried. "Like there is nothing to be-..." He turned his head sideways. "Hold on. Hold on." He placed his hands before himself, like trying to still the movements around. "Hmm...No wonder." He nodded in his self understanding manner. "Oh, no wonder...that explains...yeh..."

"Um, Doctor?" Rose waved a hand before his face.

"M?" He turned absentmidedly. "Oh, right, right. We were talking..." He trailed off again.

"Yes, we were!" Rose laughed. "Until you gone off to your own world and I haven't seen you since." She beamed at him.

"No, I was just...processing...things...certain things...important things." He looked at her. "Facts. Like-" He was starting to gesture with his hands. "Like tying the knots together and see if they fit." He frowned. "No, that doesn't necessary have to fit. Wait a moment. Hold on. Hold on." He had his face in his palms, walking in circles. "Ah!" he exclaimed, stopping in his tracks, making Rose step backwards a bit. _She just made his head a mess. That much she knew._

"Like a puzzle!" he exclaimed in a total bliss that he found the word he was searching for, Rose was laughing nervously, unsure where did their conversation stood at the moment.

"Oh, I love puzzle!" The Doctor beamed at her. "I used to play it all the time when I was a kid! But always the white one, completely white one, can you imagine?" He looked at her expectedly. "Just one blank white picture, gathered together from _millions_ of pieces." He gestured a rainbow with his hand. "Although." He grimaced. "It's a bit boring, don't you think? Not that I thought-" He was interrupted still half mouth open by Rose's sudden outburst.

"Doctor!" she yelled at him, eyes filled with rage. _Rage?_ Why would there be rage?

"What?" he asked in complete dense tone.

"We. were. talking. Remember?" She looked at him with furrowed brows. "Before the whole puzzle thing, the whole tying knots and sorts. Remember?"

"Oh, yeh." Realisation on his face. "Right. Right. We were. Where did we left of?" He was like asking her, but the minute she opened her mouth, she was shushed. "No no no no, shush. I remember. Yeh. Right. Strangers. Running. Strangers. Running with strangers!" He was back to his previous worried and hyper mood.

Rose sighed.

"What were you thinking!?" he asked her like she had just told him she had her hand placed in the lion's mouth. Well, their travels could have been considered as that...

"You don't even know half of it!" But she decided to snap.

"Because you're not telling!" he snapped back.

"I've already told you enough!" she cried.

The Doctor just stared at her. "You wanted to know, what was the big secret about me, yeh?" she began casually. "Well, there it is! I have been travelling around aliens for a year and a half before you-" She gestured to him. "That's why I was looking strange to you. That's where the whole Madcap-y came from!" She was panting heavily at her last words. She didn't mean to snap. Not really. And she told him some truths about herself, which she frankly speaking, was beginning to scare her now.

_What had she done?_

She glanced at him worriedly, but what she saw made her blink. The Doctor was just shaking his head at her. A smile was making its way on his face. He suddenly felt a dash of happiness. _It was just that!_

"Madcap-y doesn't come from your knowledge of the aliens. It's from your behaviour!" He gestured at her, his face composed.

Rose just gulped. "Okay..." She trailed off, looking at him.

"Now then. Where to now?" He dashed to the console, clasping his hands.

"W-what?" Rose just stood there in bewilderment. "Is that it?" she asked of his back.

"Is that it of what?" he asked her nonchalantly.

"You not gonna ask more? Just like that?"

"What more to ask?" He turned to face her, as he continued to walk backwards, his hands held up to his sides. "You told me about your travels, now let me show you ours." He grinned at her one of his best smiles.

Rose swallowed her tears from the sight. Was it so simple? Just that tiny bit of information made him relax so much? Was it really enough? And before she knew it, she flung herself at him, wrapping her hands around his neck.

"Rose, what is it?" he asked her worriedly, wrapping his own arms around her back. "Hey." As she snuggled herself into his shoulders.

"I thought you wouldn't want me anymore," she whispered, that making the Doctor chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I want you?" He told her gently, as he held her more tightly, smiling to himself. Sure he knew she didn't tell him everything, but this was more than enough. Gradually she could tell him more.

Feeling the need to lift up the mood, the decided to literally lift Rose up, as her legs left the ground for a moment and with a gentle thud reaching it again. Then he let go of her just to start to rush about the console madly. A sudden wave of energy filling him inside.

"What's the commotion?" Mickey's voice echoed from their backs.

The Doctor made little effort to glance at Mickey, as he locked his gaze to Rose, grinning at her, before reaching the last button.

"Allons-y!"

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**Oh and. I so completely loved the response for the previous chapter that uff! You are all amazing, you know? Thank you! Love the reviews and all.**

**Better fail the chapter, than the whole story. If what, always tell me. Will do my best to fix things. **


	23. The Girl in the Fireplace

**Okay. Since I tried a different approach on this, I added more POVs into this. And cut it off quite early. It's a bit shorter than usual, but will try to continue soon enough.**

* * *

Somewhere in the starry sky, three thousand years in Rose's future, with a bit of a thud, TARDIS materialised in the spaceship. The Doctor was first to come out, followed by Mickey and then Rose. Both of the men taking their surroundings with wonder. Soon enough, the Doctor informed both of them it being fifty first's century's spaceship and Mickey couldn't suppress his absolute excitement. The smell of the barbecued crew almost made Rose gag, but she forced herself to stay composed.

Rose grimaced a bit. _Definitely not the spaceship she would have chosen for herself. _She thought she got over it, but it still made her heart hurt a bit. All the memories rushing from this trip...Frankly speaking, she had no idea how would the Doctor react this time. If they hadn't had that talk about Rose's travels, she would have been sure that she would have been abandoned five hours and more. If he would have ever really came back to her... But now. It felt like they have settled some problems. No?

Rose shook her head. _No more feeling sorry for oneself._ What she regretted the most, after this trip the last time, was that the Doctor was basically in charge of everything. He went out there, met people, saved them, while Rose with Mickey just stayed there on the spaceship, awaiting their fates. Now times were different.

If he could go explore, so could she. Here is nothing to explore. But 1727 France! That's another story.

And there they stood. Facing the fireplace, connecting the two worlds - standing tall. The Doctor was, obviously, first to rush towards it.

"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century! French! Nice mantel." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the fireplace.

"Not a hologram," he announced.

"Not even a reproduction, this actually_ is_ an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double-sided, there's another room through there." He bended down, examining it more closely. Rose was leaning on one side of it, watching him. Mickey was just...somewhere there.

"Hello." The Doctor's sudden voice, startled her. She squatted down, next to him, to see a young girl with long blonde hair, dressed in a nightgown, looking back at the Doctor.

"Hello?" the girl answered, a bit confused.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked her casually.

"Reinette," she answered like it was obvious.

"Reinette, that's a lovely name," the Doctor said encouragingly. "Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" Curiosity taking over him.

"In my bedroom." The girl already feeling suspicious, but still answered.

The Doctor nodded, before continuing. "And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"

"Paris, of course." She laughed at the oblivious man.

"Paris, right!" The Doctor laughed himself.

"Monsieur, what are you doing..." She glanced him over. "In my fireplace?"

"Oh, it's just a routine..." The Doctor shook his head nonchalantly. "Fire check." Rose smiled at his silly excuses. "Can you tell me what year it is?" he continued.

"Of course I can! Seventeen hundred and twenty seven."

"Right, lovely!" The Doctor nodded smiling, a bit silly. "One of my favourites..." He stopped to consider. "August is rubbish though. Stay indoors." Back to his cheerful self. "Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night night!" As he stood up.

"_Goodnight Monsieur_." Was the girl's last words.

"You said this was the fifty-first century," Mickey said at once.

"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole," he began blithely. "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink," he muttered.

**"**What's that?" Mickey asked with his eyes wide. Rose just shook her head.

"No idea. Just made it up. Didn't wanna say 'magic door'," the Doctor answered him simply, leaving Mickey pouting. Rose snorted at the sight.

"What?" The Doctor looked at her innocently.

"Oh, nothing. Just you being..." She gestured. "You." Her hand at her mouth.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, but as he was not saying anything, Rose continued.

"So..." she began. "On the other side of this..." In a deeper voice. "_Magic door_." She locked her gaze to the Doctor's. "Is France in 1727?"

The Doctor held his gaze to Rose's for a moment, before abruptly turning his head sideways, tucking on his ear as he tried to sound nonchalant.

"Well... she was speaking French. Right period French, too." He nodded, purposely not meeting Rose's eyes. Rose pressed her lips together, to suppress the smile, breaking on its way at his reaction.

"She was speaking English, I heard her!" Mickey butted in, when the Doctor walked off in the room to drop his coat, coming back to the fireplace, moments later.

"That's the TARDIS - translates for ya." Rose told Mickey absentmindedly as she followed the Doctor to the fireplace. _Not letting you escape now._

The Doctor was already searching for the way to go through and just as he pressed the right switch, the wall began to rotate, taking the Doctor _together_ with Rose on the other side of the fireplace.

"Rose! Doctor!" Mickey's shouts were the last things heard when the pair found themselves in Reinette's bedroom.

"What did you do that for?" The Doctor looked at her puzzled.

"Can't let you go have fun by yourself." Rose gave him a serious look.

"So decided to join me?" He grinned at her teasingly.

"Oh, you _love_ my company," she teased him back.

"Yes I do." Both of them looking at each other intensely with wide smiles.

"Either way." Rose suddenly turned her gaze away. "I'm not letting you enjoy France all by yourself." She gave him a pointed look. "I always wanted to go there," she continued, while stepping away from the fireplace, further inside the room, taking in her surroundings.

"Why didn't you say so?" The Doctor quickly by her side. "I could always get you there with the TARDIS."

"And where is the fun in that?" she teased him, looking at him with a smile on her face. "Things like that-" She gestured to the room. "Is what adventure is all about." Ending with tongue between her teeth.

"I surrender." The Doctor chuckled faintly, putting his hands in defence mode.

"Who's there?" A girl's voice, made both of them sprung around, as they saw Reinette, sitting on her bed, watching them cautiously.

"It's okay! Don't scream! It's me, it's the fireplace man. Look-" The Doctor lit up the fireplace with his sonic.

"Hello." Rose waved slightly. "I'm his right hand." She smiled warmly at the girl.

"How can you be his right hand?" The girl looked Rose up suspiciously.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

Rose glanced at the Doctor, who didn't seem to mind the last sentence. "I thought the kings and emperors all had their right hands," she whispered, leaning to the Doctor's side.

"Well." He shrugged. "She's young-"

"I heard that!" Reinette frowned, clearly unhappy. "And I know what it means. I'm seven already. You can't be his right hand though."

"And why not?" Rose didn't want to budge. Even as a little girl, so cheeky.

"You're a woman!" Reinnete announced.

"Of course I'm." Rose snapped. The Doctor nudged her slightly.

"What?" Rose snapped at him.

"Early eighteenth century. They have no women working with the fireplaces," he whispered.

"Oh. Right." Rose seemed to realise that. The Doctor just shook his head, smiling in amusement.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

"Anyway!" he exclaimed. "Oh, look at that!" As he walked out towards the window. "It's winter!" Smiling in total bliss. "White piles of snow, covering the streets of Paris. What more to ask?"

Rose rolled her eyes and turned around to face the fireplace. Then she froze.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

"Doctor," she whispered, her voice shaky.

"M?" The Doctor walked over her casually. Then he spotted what Rose just saw. The broken clock.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

"Are you a Doctor?" Reinette asked. "I thought you said you were the fireplace man."

Instead of answering, the Doctor continued to stare at the clock on the mantel with his mouth open, looking slightly fearful.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

_"_Okay, that's scary..." he breathed, slightly backing away, grasping Rose's hand, pulling her away too.

"You're scared of a broken clock?" Reinnete asked him sceptically.

"Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit," the Doctor began, releasing a hold of Rose. "'Cause you see, if this clock's broken." He turned around to face the room.

_Tick tock tick tock._

"And it's the only clock in the room...Then what's that?" he whispered, as the sound grew louder.

_Tick tock. TICK TOCK._

Reinette was looking around her room, clearly scared, Rose swallowed, brushing, the thoughts of herself being strapped to the bed, sharp weapons pointed at them, away.

"'Cause you see that's not a clock." The Doctor looked around. "You can tell by the resonance." He started moving slowly. "Too big. Six feet, I'd say." Reinette was taking calming breaths. "Size of a man," the Doctor ended.

"What is it?" Reinette asked softly. Scared to the bone.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

"Now. Let's think." He walked to check the curtains, but found nothing there. Rose moved to check the other pair. Still nothing. _Where was it hiding?_

"If you were a thing that ticks and you were hiding in someone's bedroom," he spilled fast. "First thing you do : break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two?" He paused.

"You might start to wonder if you're really alone," he said in a low voice, steadily moving towards the girl's bed. Rose tried to approach it too, but the Doctor stilled her to stay there with his hand.

"Stay on the bed. Right in the middle." He instructed Reinette, crouching down on the floor. "Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." As he pulled his sonic screwdriver out.

As he peered underneath the bed before turning on the sonic screwdriver to scan, suddenly something smacked the Doctor backwards, knocking the screwdriver out of his hand. Reinette and Rose both gasped at that. Rose for different reasons than Reinette though.

The Doctor was still scrambling on the floor, looking underneath, while Rose stood there, face to face, only the child's bed separating her and the being whose feet the Doctor spotted standing there from under the bed. She gulped at the sight. As the Doctor slowly started to stand up, looking at Reinette with wide eyes, Rose whispered, not breaking her gaze.

"Reinette...Don't look around," she whispered.

A figure was standing on the other side of the bed, wearing a creepy clown-like mask and leering down at Reinette, who was looking terrified.

"You stay exactly where you are." The Doctor instructed to Reinette then glancing to the figure, back at Reinette, again at the figure, then back at Reinette.

"Hold still, let me look..." The Doctor bended down and grasped Reinette's head between his hands, staring intently into her eyes with a disturbed expression, before looking back at the figure.

"You've been scanning her brain!" he announced, shocked.

_With only a touch he knew that._ Rose could only be glad that she managed to avoid being scanned by the Doctor for the time being. Otherwise, she was not sure what he would find.

_"_What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain?" The Doctor looked at the figure with horrified and incredulous expression._ "_What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?"

_Hmm. Still don't know how important she is to them. To you._ _No! Let's not think that._ Rose shook her head.

"I don't understand... it wants me?!" Renette asked, clearly scared, but the moment she turned around to look at the figure, she didn't even flinch at the sight. "You want me?"

The figure's head twitched to one side as it spoke in a distinctly mechanical voice.

_"Not yet. You are incomplete."_

"'Incomplete'?" the Doctor asked sarcastically. "What's that mean, 'incomplete'?" He grimaced.

The droid did not answer, just stared at Reinette for a few moments, but then it caught sight of Rose. Before the Doctor could react, as he was once again watching Reinette, the droid held his arm at Rose, giving her a chance only to blink when some sort of light lit her head. Probably a scan.

"What did you do!?" The Doctor stood up, pointing his sonic screwdriver threateningly at it, glancing with the corner of his eye at Rose.

"You alright?" he asked her, still holding his gaze at the droid.

"Yeh..." Rose breathed. "I think."

And then the words, which gave her shivers, escaped the droid's mouth.

_"You're compatible. Temporarily."_

"What do you mean she's compatible!?" The Doctor's voice sounded dark now. "You can answer her. You can answer me."

The droid again did not answer, instead it began walking in jerky movements around the bed and now stood facing the Doctor. When it extended an arm, a menacing looking blade slided out near the Doctor's face. He just tilted his head away, pushing Rose behind him.

"Monsieur, be careful!" Reinette's voice echoed inside the room.

"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it." He glanced at her, then back at the figure. "Everyone has nightmares." He began backing away, droid pursuing.

"Rose. Portal!" He instructed, as the droid swiped at him, making him duck the attack and walk in circles with the monster. Rose rushed at the fireplace to get a hold of the switch to move it.

"Ready!" she yelled back to him.

"Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" he teased the droid, backing away to the fireplace now once more.

The droid slashed at the Doctor again, but he managed to evade the attack, by jumping to the side and now the droid's blade was stuck in the mantel.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette asked suspiciously.

"Me! HA!" the Doctor exclaimed as Rose hit the switch, taking the trio to the other side.

* * *

"Doctor, Rose!" Mickey's delighted voice greeted them.

As the fireplace finished turning, the Doctor ran to grab a gun-like object from the wall, using it to spray ice at the droid. Rose was already at Mickey's side. After a bit of a struggle, the droid convulsed in a last, vain attempt to free itself before freezing completely.

"Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey smiled in approval.

The Doctor turned around to face them both and calmly threw the gun at Rose, who caught it.

"Fire extinguisher," the Doctor corrected him.

"Where did it come from?" Mickey asked.

"Here," the Doctor stated.

Before Mickey could add more, the Doctor suddenly turned to face Rose.

"Now you!" He pointed at her, making her blink. "You're staying here. No more trips to France. We don't know what it wants from you, but it can not be good," he muttered before facing the droid again. Soon enough, he dropped its wig down, to reveal its actual head - an ornate clockwork mechanism, covered with a clear plastic egg shape. The Doctor couldn't help but admire it.

"Oh." His mouth fell open. "You're _beautiful_!" he exclaimed.

"It wants you?" Mickey asked Rose, surprised.

"It wants Reinette. I was just...how did you call it..." She trailed off in thoughts. "In the way!" she exclaimed.

"And it wants you too," the Doctor added in a low voice, still staring at the head. "You're gorgeous! Look at that!" he cried.

"That's not gonna stop me..." Rose muttered under her breath, the Doctor was oblivious to that, too immersed into the sight ahead.

"It would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you," he continued. He took one last wistful look at the droid, before holding up the sonic screwdriver, preparing to point it at the clock.

"But that won't stop me," he said sadly. However, before the Doctor could do anything, the droid teleported itself out.

"Short range teleport, can't have got far. Could still be on board..." The Doctor trailed off and went towards the monitor.

"Just need..." He pressed a few buttons. "Hmm." Looking at it. Rose smiled at the sight. Now was her opportunity. She tossed the gun at Mickey, him barely catching it, as she walked towards the Doctor.

"Eighteen century France," Rose began in a luring voice, leaning slightly on the table.

"Yeh. We just learnt that," the Doctor replied her absentmindedly. He hummed in silent self understanding and after a few backward leaps, ran off to the TARDIS. Rose was tailing behind him, but the Doctor was fast as wind. Not long after she stepped inside the ship, she spotted the Doctor already hovering above the console.

"I just need..." He was focusing on the readings on the monitor. Rose joined him near the console, not letting her plan go.

"France. Parties...Dancing..." Rose tried to hint him. It seemed to snap the Time Lord out of his musings for a slight moment.

"What, you want to go dancing now?" The Doctor looked at her incredulously, as he just bent his head to the side in puzzlement. _His random moments of catching the phrases..._ But he quickly turned back, facing the monitor again.

"I'm sure we could find some dancing floors down there." Rose nodded, speaking in a low voice.

"We're currently helping a little girl not to be used for Clock Droids' with carnival masks purposes," he sang in reminder.

A somewhat awkward silence followed his words. It managed to disturb his work a bit, his thoughts trailing off to thoughts of what wrong had he said. He frowned, not being able to grasp it. _And then it clicked him._ He turned to face her and when he saw her grinning his, own face lit up.

"You know whose's house is that," he noted.

"I just might recognise the fireplace." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not hiding anymore, are you?" He giggled, beaming at her. Rose gave him her tongue between her teeth smile. "So, who's it?" he asked her, totally eager to know.

"Oh, where's the fun in that." She backed away from him, when she sensed the Doctor getting closer to her. She was walking backwards, towards the doors, still grinning. "I have a proposal for you," she said, stopping just at the doors.

"Oh?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes dancing in anticipation. "And what might that be?" he asked her nonchalantly, stopping just ahead of her, looking at her in the eyes expectedly.

"I bet you five quid who can get the first dance with The Royals," she said seriously, but with a playful tease thrown in between.

The Doctor blinked a bit, his mouth opening up. "The Royals? Is Reinette a royaltly?" He beamed in excitement.

"That. I won't say." She laughed.

"Oh. Come on," he groaned.

"Find out yourself, Time Lord," she teased him, poking him in the chest.

"Five quid for the first dance?" He looked at her incredulously. "That's a bit cheap."

"Ten quid?" she asked softly.

"Deal." They both grinned at each other and Rose flew the doors open, running back to the spaceship.

To nobody's surprise, really, she found Mickey standing near the fireplace, completely lost as to what was going on, still holding her gun.

"Mickey!" Rose ran to him and hugged him briefly.

"Y-yeh?" he stammered a bit.

"Hold that gun, no matter what. Be careful. Got that?" She looked at him seriously.

"Why? Is there danger?"

"Not unless you ask for it." The Doctor's voice caught their ears, as he walked into the room, getting close to the fireplace. "Don't go looking for them!" He pointed a finger at Rose and Mickey, pressing the switch, as the fireplace started to rotate.

"Can't promise that!" Rose yelled out for him.

"Don't!" He pointed one last time at her.

"_Will be back in a sec!_" His voice echoing in the room.

When the Doctor seemed successfully gone, Rose began to walk away, further inside the spaceship.

"He said not to look for it!" Mickey called out for her.

"Yes he did!" she said seriously, facing him. Mickey glanced at her suspiciously, when he saw her face lit up in a wide grin. "Stay there. Wait till he comes back. I'll be back in a sec myself." She waved at him and with one last grin disappeared from Mickey's sight.

"Oh, just great," Mickey muttered. "At least before they would go in one direction. Now in two opposites."

* * *

"Reinette?" the Doctor called out for her as soon as he entered her bedroom. "Reinette?" He tried again and soon enough a young beautiful woman walked inside the room.

"Oh. Hello. I'm just looking for Reinette." The Doctor looked around. "This is still her room, right?" he asked cautiously. "I've been away not sure for how long..." he muttered.

_"Reinette! We're ready to go!" _a voice from downstairs called.

"Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there," the woman called back, holding her gaze to the Doctor's.

A grin of realisation spread across the Doctor's face.

"It is customary, I think," Reinette began teasingly. "To have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence."

"Reinette...!" the Doctor exhaled in amazement. Reinette smiled back at him.

"Well." The Doctor looked her up and down. "Goodness, how you've grown." He nodded.

"And you do not appear to have aged a single day," she said, approaching him. "That is tremendously impolite of you. Although, I must note that you're missing your right hand with you this time round." She chuckled.

"Eh?" He looked at her confused. "Oh. Right." As he realised. "Only one hand now." He waggled his fingers at her. "She tends to run off somewhere." He shrugged, laughing nervously.

"Should I be concerned of her ever reaching you back?" she asked sheepishly.

"She always finds her way back home," the Doctor replied smiling warmly at her.

"So she is home...to you," Reinette whispered softly, lowering her gaze. The Doctor completely oblivious to that.

"Or!" he exclaimed. "I just have to find her." He shrugged, smiling. Reinette smiled back at him. She then approached him to touch his cheek, examining him. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd." She looked troubled. "Reason tells me you cannot be real."

"Oh, pfft... You never want to listen to reason..." he joked.

_"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient," _a voice, sounding a bit familiar to the Doctor' ear, called out in the distance. The Doctor grimaced at that in thought. _Weird._

"A moment!" Reinette called back. She could see the Doctor's attention was drifting apart.

"So many questions. So little time," she said in a soft, urgent voice, and in a second the Doctor found himself pulled towards her, her lips passionately attacking his.

The Doctor was stunned by that reaction, not exactly making effort to move. His eyes were still open wide as they registered blonde hair. Instinctively he reached out to cup the woman's head in his hands, his eyes closing down, even kissing back.

_"Oh, don't blame me for that. Her body moved on its own."_

A sudden memory filling his thoughts.

"_Rose,_" he whispered, as he grazed his lips with the woman kissing him. Then in a flash, both of them stumbled backwards. Each of them at the opposite sides. Both watching each other with wide confused eyes, breathing a bit laboured.

"Well, that's a cruel way to reject a woman." Reinette laughed slightly, feeling uncomfortable.

"What? Oh, no no. Sorry. I'm so sorry!" The Doctor began to apologize with all sincerity. He couldn't really understand himself what just happened, even less explain someone that, or in this case, apologize. Which! He thought was necessary._ But what was that about anyway?_

A laugh made the pair jump at their feet.

"Ain't this our routine of meeting each other?" A cheeky voice caught the Doctor's attention. He stepped away from Reinette to see who was talking.

"Jack?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hey, Doc." He saluted then glanced back at Reinette. "Reinette." As he winked at her.

"Jean, what are you doing here? I told you not to enter my bedroom as you please." She chided Jack, approaching him steadily, but a smile breaking its way on her face.

"Jean?" The Doctor eyed him sceptically.

"My French name." Jack bowed gracefully.

"You two actually know each other," Reinette noted, gesturing to them both. "I guess it's to be expected that two mysteries of my life just happened to be acquaintanced," she exhaled.

"A mystery?" the Doctor mocked, looking at Jack. "Great big face," he muttered, glancing him over.

"Stop," Jack warned him. The Doctor just shrugged innocently.

"Oh, he has a handsome face," Reinette agreed.

"I bet he does," the Doctor sang, chuckling. Jack gave him a dangerous look.

"_Reinette?_" A voice from downstairs could be heard.

"Coming!" she called out. "It's time for me to go." She spared one last glance at the Doctor and Jack and walked out of the room. Both men's gazes following her as she left.

Then Jack suddenly got serious. "I knew you had _problems_ with Rosie, but not to such depth."

"We don't have problems." The Doctor just shook his head. Then he tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "She told me about him."

"Told you what?" Jack asked to be sure he heard him right.

"I know you are aware of it, Jack," the Doctor said in a low voice.

_A pause._

"Oh. So you know," Jack breathed. _How much did he know? Certainly couldn't know everything, right?_ "What exactly did she tell you?" he asked faintly.

"Weeell." The Doctor began to pace around the room, tugging on his ear. "That she had lost her partner with whom she travelled among the stars, and all that."

"So she did not tell you that I knew," Jack stated.

"Yeh, but I figured as much." The Doctor came to a stop, his hands in his pockets, staring at Jack for a moment.

"Okay," Jack began slowly. "And you're unhappy about it," he stated once more.

"About what?" The Doctor shook his head, confused.

"That I knew before you."

That kinda hit the sore spot. But the Doctor didn't let it show. "Nah, 'course not!" he exclaimed blithely. "She's free to tell whoever she feels most comfortable with." He pulled out his sonic to fiddle with it.

Jack snorted at that. _The jealous Time Lord_. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Absolutely nothing. But really, she told me first only because I knew him," Jack uttered the first words that came to mind.

"You knew him?" The Doctor stopped to tinker his sonic and now edged towards Jack. "Personally?"

"No, not really. I just was _aware_ of his existence." Jack trailed off. _Maybe should have stayed silent._

"What does _that_ mean?" the Doctor persisted. Those words games were getting on his nerves.

"Not my place to tell, Doc." Jack pulled his hands in defence. "But wait a moment." After a short pause he continued. "Did you just say she told you he was her partner?"

"Yeh. Why?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment.

Jack smirked inwardly. Certainly something to tease the poor Time Lord with. "Oh God." He faked a concerned and shocked look. "She didn't mention that bit to me."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, not sure where this was going. "You said you knew about her travels."

"About travels. Yeh." Jack nodded, face serious. "But I didn't know it was so serious." He faked a apologetic smile at the Doctor, which just made him more confused.

"What is?" He frowned in confusion.

"Well, _partner_. You know." Jack shrugged.

"Yeh, so?" The Doctor shook his head questioningly.

"Partner," Jack uttered it meaningfully, gazing at him intensely.

The Doctor just stared at him for a moment, before he tilted his head, rolling his eyes. "Should have known. Everything comes to that for you," he muttered, as he turned to go towards the fireplace.

"This time, it's not that. Seriously." Jack defended himself. The Doctor just gave him a look.

"You said yourself. Partner. There's only one explanation. _Mate_."

"Stop it, Harkness. Seriously. Enough." The Doctor grimaced at that. Jack just laughed. "And where are you going?" he asked him, still giving him a filthy look, as Jack approached the fireplace.

"Going with you," Jack just stated simply.

"What about your life here? Your position?"

"I got this." With that, Jack pulled out a letter from his pocket and placed it on Reinette's bed-table. The Doctor just rolled his eyes as the pair rotated back into spaceship.

* * *

Back at the spaceship, Jack and the Doctor found only Mickey standing there, waiting impatiently.

"Finally you show up," he complained. Then his eyes focused on the american. "And where did you pick the cheesy one from?" He frowned.

"You mean handsome," Jack corrected him with a smile.

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor quickly asked Mickey, looking concerned.

"She just ran off. Same time as you." He gestured with his hands. "Just in the opposite direction."

"And you just let her?" The Doctor looked at him in disbelief.

"What was I supposed to do?" Mickey defended himself.

The Doctor just shook his head. Giving up on Mickey. "Every time. Every time. Rule number one. Don't wander off. For once, can't she listen when I tell her not to wander off?" he muttered to himself, walking in circles, looking upwards and shaking his head.

"You clearly were wandering off yourself." Jack glanced him up and down, hinting something, which Mickey didn't catch yet.

"Dont even't start." The Doctor chided him, as he began walking towards the monitor.

"So, what, you snogged Rosie, two times now? One with Cassandra another with her image in Reinette?" Jack teased him. "Or does this one doesn't count? Not being her lips and all?" He winked.

"What?" Mickey asked, feeling like he was just slapped.

"Three times, if you want to be exact. And those each times were not _snogging_." The Doctor made a meaningful look, as he turned to face Jack, ignoring Mickey aaaand the last part about the very recent events.

"Sure sure." Jack nodded, stifling his chuckle.

"It is!" the Doctor cried. "The first time round, it was to get the Time Vortex out of her, I was still in my ninth body and then regenerated into this." He gestured to himself casually. "It was life and death situation." He gave a serious look at them.

Jack pressed his lips together. Nodding. _Couldn't have used your sonic for that._ Sure. Mickey was listening to all that in confusion and horror.

"The second time, it was not even her! It was Cassandra possessing her body and launching herself at me. I had no way out!" He was desperately trying to defend himself. "And the third time it was with Queen Victoria." He looked sideways. "We both got knighted and banished in the same day. Blimey." Then he shook his head to concentrate again. "Anyway! We were in hiding from this lupine wavelength haemovariform, werewolf, in your language." He made a pointed look at both of them. "And we just so happened to stand under the mistletoe, so I had to. It was the tradition!" he cried, now leaving Mickey completely mouth open, eyes unfocused and Jack laughing hysterically.

"What?" the Doctor countered him.

"So, so what you're saying..." Jack tried to calm himself down. "Is basically, that women just keep attacking you?" Jack tried to stay calm and serious, saying that, but was failing miserably.

"I'll say no more." As the Doctor walked away.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**I felt the need to tease our Time Lord a bit. Hehe.**

**Basically this chapter is like an idea. Not saying much there. But still, it would be nice to hear what you think even with this bit. Well...this bit is 5k words long but. LOL**

**And once again. You would tell me if something was off? Way off or boring, or not enough explained, off character and stuff, right? If thought better not to until now, do so from now on. Would be always grateful to hear and improve myself.**


	24. The Girl in the Fireplace Continuation

**Thank you for your feedbacks! Like really! Always makes me smile. **

**To Rj : regarding Queen Victoria... I guess I should have dug deeper...let's just say...she was a bit AU in my story...sorry for historical flaw. **

* * *

Having just left Mickey standing there, waiting for the Doctor to come back, Rose decided to go for a stroll herself. She passed a few corridors, going past the glass mirror, which she knew was not important as of yet, and now found herself standing in front of a set of white, French double doors. Rose grinned at that.

"That's more like it." As she opened them.

What was beyond those doors, took her breath away. As she stepped out onto a grassy courtyard she came to learn just how beautiful Versailles was. And the Doctor had the fun all for himself back then. She couldn't help but scowl at that. She stood there, near the low pillar, and could see Reinette casually walking with another woman, laughing and chatting about. Rose smiled, watching them. Everything here looked like a picture. Anyone could get lost in here, even the Doctor, or more like, especially him, who wanted to believe in something that was not there. He had lost too much in his life, he desperately wanted to believe in this fairytale.

Rose sighed at those thoughts. This time things were different. Maybe everything will come out right. And as she let her eyes wander through the spectacular view, she spotted a tree branch moving unevenly. Rose frowned. There didn't seem to be any wind, but that branch was moving. The moment was not left unnoticed. It soon caught Reinette's attention and she sprung around. Rose had to duck under the wall pillar.

And then she saw it. From the lower glance she could see a figure, a man, definitely a man, hanging on the branch, slightly shaky himself and watching the pair of the women. A stalker? Rose raised an eyebrow thinking. Well, whoever he was - Rose would find out. And with that, she slowly started to move along the wall pillar, until she had to jump over it. Thankfully she was graceful and as she hid herself in the shadows, nobody spotted her, yet.

She then watched the habitats of Versailles until they turned their backs on her and it was safe for Rose to dash towards the tree of her goal. Moments later she was leaning against the same tree, hiding herself out of sight. Nobody saw her. Then she looked up to get a better glance at the man. And she gasped.

"King of France?" She looked at him with wide eyes.

The man in question nearly fell out of the tree, when he looked down to see the source of the voice calling him. He looked at her with horror filled eyes. He was sure nobody would notice him here, and now, there she was. Or was it really a she? Her clothing was way beyond odd.

Not letting his thoughts wander much longer, Rose, after getting a few glances around herself to make sure nobody was watching, flung herself on the same tree branch as the King himself. Some honour.

"What's this? Is it some sort of joke?" the King whispered, clearly scandalised, and embarrassed.

"You can talk." Rose chuckled and in the same moment Reinette turned around once more, making the man stiffen while still looking frantically at Rose.

Rose just put her finger on her mouth. Luckily enough, after a moment Madame, or future Madame for that matter, went back to her stroll.

A pair on the branch sighed a relief filled breath. Then at once the King's eyes shot up to look at Rose.

"Who are you? What are you doing up here? And what's with your clothing, it's highly improper for a lady. If you are even a lady." He looked her up and down.

"Oi. Eyes off." Rose chided him, it seemed to make the King a bit uncomfortable. "You nearly fell down from this branch, I just came to take a look what was going on," she began blithely.

The King just eyed her suspiciously. "I won't tell Reinette about this. Don't worry." Rose gave him a reassuring smile.

"And why should I believe you?" he asked.

"I have no interest in your personal life," Rose told him seriously, crossing her arms around her chest. "But a piece of advice. If you want to court someone or get to know at least, do that face to face. This act of yours-" She gestured to him. "Is _highly inappropriate,_" she ended in a low voice, making the King fidget.

"Who's there!?" a voice echoed in the garden.

"Uh oh." Rose and the King glanced at each other, as they noticed an attendant walking in circles, searching for the source of the noise.

"We've been caught," the King mumbled, looking downwards with frantic eyes.

"Or not necessarily," Rose whispered barely audible, the King looking at her puzzled. _She may have just found the way out._

Then Rose glanced up at the King and beamed at him, making the man perplexed. "I'll save you of this one," she told him, grinning and soon got ready to get down the tree.

"What are you doing? You will get caught!" The King looked frantic.

"I won't, I just found a friend of mine, who might just help me get out," she told him, as she began to slide downwards. Then she looked up to meet the King's gaze. "And don't you ever tell me that my clothing's inappropriate, because if I wore those bouncy dresses as there-" She pointed nonchalantly. "I would never be able to do this." And with that, she whistled. Taking attention of the attendant and one more living being.

"Arthur!" she yelled out. In a flash, a white horse approached from the bushes, leaving the King dumbfounded. Rose ran faster than the attendant already so it didn't take long for her to reach the horse. With one graceful move, she flung herself on him and was ready to make her way towards the exit.

"Who are you? Where are you taking the horse?" the attendant still tried to shout, when seeing the girl urging the horse on. Rose just half turned to grin at the attendant and winked at the King, now hiding behind the bushes (as he had enough time now to come down the tree), looking at her in astonishment.

And with one last hop Rose disappeared inside the fifty-first century spaceship.

* * *

On the other side of the spaceship, the newly reformed trio were walking around, looking for a certain someone. The Doctor coming first, then Jack and Mickey. After making a few turns there and there, the Doctor abruptly stopped, making Mickey crash into his back.

"Ouch." Mickey rubbed his nose. The Doctor completely ignored him and faced Jack.

"What were you doing in eighteenth century France anyway?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

Jack smirked at him. "France, Doc. That's all that matters." The Doctor just rolled his eyes at him.

"Yeh yeh." He dismissed him with a hand. "But why eighteenth century?"

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "Had to meet one of the most famous women in France history."

"Who?" The Doctor shook his head, confused.

"Reinette." Jack looked at the Doctor in disbelief.

"And how's she famous?" the Doctor persisted, not yet getting it.

"Reinette Poisson?" Jack raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who's that?" Mickey was completely oblivious.

"Reinette Poisson?!" The Doctor seemed to be getting it now. His mouth began to twitch in a smile. "Later Madame Etoiles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" The Doctor was now beaming in excitement. "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan? Fantasti_c_ gardener!" he exclaimed. "Brilliant!" _No wonder Rose was talking about the dancing floors. They were in Versailles!_

"I only chose the best." Jack bowed gracefully.

"Oh, don't even start that." The Doctor grimaced at him. "You take everything and everyone living."

"With a rule to not miss the very best." Jack smirked.

"Who's the gardener?" Mickey frowned.

Jack laughed at that, the Doctor just rolled his eyes. "Time you get more history lessons, Mickey dipery boy," he mocked and began to walk further inside. "Come on!" He urged them both with his hands.

They didn't have to walk long before they spotted a glass window on their left.

"It's France again. We can see France," Mickey announced.

"So this is how you found me." Jack looked through the window excited.

"Weell." The Doctor trailed off. "If you consider an eighteenth century fireplace a time _window_, which obviously has no glass in it. Fireplaces were not made of glass back then. And honestly, glass was not exactly a trend for eighteenth century. And a window is not really a fireplace. Or other way around. A fireplace is not exactly a window. You would rally have to stretch the term to get there..." He grimaced in thought. "Blimey. What a muddle." He cleared his throat. "Anyway. If you think like thaaaat, then... I guess." He nodded nonchalantly. "That's how we've met."

"But this is amazing!" Jack breathed the sight. "You could have spied on me my whole life there and I wouldn't have even known." He shook his head, smiling.

"Believe me, it's the last thing on my schedule." The Doctor gave him a look. And before Jack could comment on that, he added. "Now, no time to waste. We've still got one passenger missing," he exclaimed blithely and turned around just to freeze in his tracks.

Before him, face to face, he found himself staring at the mouth of a certain white being, which his Time Lord's senses identified as a horse, who whinnied in his face, bouncing his head. Jack couldn't stop snickering at that.

* * *

When Rose hopped back inside the spaceship, she was grateful how two worlds worked there. As soon as they stepped inside, the white double doors shut itself off, erasing themselves of their existence.

"Convenient." Rose grinned at the sight. And then turned to face forwards. "Come on, Arthur, let's find our designated driver." She grinned to herself and they resumed their jouurney through the spaceship.

They passed a few corridors, which were empty. _Good. No droids in the horizon._ Until she heard a couple of voices echoing from somewhere on her right. She smiled at the sounds and moved with the horse along the way.

Before long, she spotted three all too familiar faces, bickering with each other. _Men._ Rose chuckled silently. She saw how the trio stopped to look at the time window and Rose thought it was an opportunity for her to make an entrance. She led the horse the way and stopped just a bit ahead of the trio. What she didn't expect was that the Doctor would be so completely oblivious to his surroundings, that he nearly mouth-crashed with Arthur.

The Doctor stood there, blinking at the white one in front of him, Mickey was looking all puzzled about what was the horse doing in spaceship, and Jack wouldn't stop laughing. Rewind that. _Jack?_ Where did Jack come from?

"Jack!" Rose squealed in happiness, as she jumped off the horse, making the Doctor flinch and blink at her some more, Mickey coming to senses that not only horse was on spaceship but that Rose came on top of it. Only Jack was beaming at her, as she flung herself in his embrace.

"Rosie! Uh, good to see you." He wrapped his arms around her tightly. Both of them laughed in a bliss.

"You're here! How come you're here?" Rose beamed at her friend, when they parted from their hug.

"Came to have a chat with the Madame de Pompadour." He smirked at her meaningfully.

"You didn't..." Rose gapped at him with eyes wide. Jack just laughed, shrugging.

"What, seriously?" The Doctor came forward now with furrowed brows.

"As much as I would _love_ to tease you some more-" Jack began. "I have to say that...no. I only had a good time becoming her friend."

Everyone sighed in relief. "Ei!" Jack clearly hurt. Rose patted on her friend's shoulder, laughing.

"Blimey, look at this guy," Mickey muttered looking at the glass window. "Who does he think he is?" He frowned.

"The King of France." Rose spoke softly, beaming at the sight.

"How do you know?" The Doctor looked at her questioningly.

"Oh, I might have gone on a stroll to meet The King of France." Rose shrugged nonchalantly, but a smile tugging on her lips.

"You did what?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment.

"That's where I fetched Arthur," she continued.

"Arthur?" Mickey and Jack asked in unison, later glancing at each other uncomfortably.

"The horse there." She gestured to him, who only whinnied, nodding his head.

"Good name for a horse." The Doctor looked approvingly at her. _Considering it was you who named him, but oh well._

"So, what have you been up to?" Rose asked him, grinning.

"Oh, this and that," he began blithely, watching the king as he stood before the mirror. "Met the adult version of Reinette, who was in fact a future aristocrat of France, but I guess you knew that already," he muttered. "Oh, and picked this one up." He gestured to Jack, who just winked at them.

"See these?" The Doctor pointed at the glass. "They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history..." He placed a finger on the glass, as Reinette entered the room, the King turning around to face her. "_Hers."_

"Time window..." He wandered in his thoughts. "Deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman." In a more casual voice. "A spaceship from the fifty-first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth." In a non-understanding voice. "Why?" he whispered, looking confused. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Although..." He turned to Rose. "You said you've met the King?" Rose just nodded. "Then maybe it's not her, but the whole family..." He turned to face the window again.

"No, it's her," Rose corrected him. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her.

"When I met him..." Rose locked her gaze to the Doctor. "_The King,_" she said in a low voice, a smile making its way. The Doctor tilted his head, making it look like he was not impressed at all. "Anyway," Rose continued. "When I met him... Reinette was there too."

"What, so you've already met an adult version of her?" The Doctor sounded a bit disappointed.

"No no, not yet." Rose shook her head, chuckling. "I just saw her. Didn't talk to her. But that still makes the windows following her."

"You saw her but didn't talk." The Doctor looked at her puzzled.

"I can't say more. I promised." Rose laughed. The Doctor just raised an eyebrow at her.

"_How long have you been standing there?_"

Reinette's voice caught their attention. "Show yourself," she demanded, and with that, the group saw how the figure, standing in the corner of the room, turned suddenly and revealed itself to be one of the clockwork droids. It didn't take long, before it started to advance.

On the instant, the Doctor grabbed the fire extinguisher from Mickey and swung the mirror around, stepping back into Reinette's world, followed by Rose, Mickey and Jack.

"Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?" the Doctor greeted her casually while walking past her, towards the droid.

"Fireplace man!" Reinette exhaled, as she then spotted the others. "The right hand and Jean? I thought I would never see you again." She smiled at Jack.

"I'm terribly sorry for my sudden departure." Jack came forward to give her a kiss on the hand.

"You told me you could disappear that way one day. I don't blame you," she said softly.

"No time for flirting. Matters at hand," the Doctor called out for their attention, as he sprayed the droid with the fire extinguisher until it become immobile. He then threw the extinguisher back to Mickey. The droid started to click and whirr loudly.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked, looking wide-eyed at the droid.

"Switching back on." The Doctor took a step forward, closer to the droid. "Melting the ice."

"And then what?" Mickey asked again, concerned.

"Then it kills everyone in the room," the Doctor announced, looking at the droid.

In a second, the clockwork droid's arm shot out towards the Doctor's throat. Luckily he jumped back and backed away.

"Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" He spoke lightly, addressing the clockwork woman. "Who are you? Identify yourself," he commanded, his hands in his pockets.

The droid bent its head, but did not answer.

"Order it to answer me," the Doctor told Reinette, feeling a bit annoyed to be ignored.

"Why should it listen to me?" she asked, confused.

"I don't know," the Doctor began blithely, walking towards Reinette. "It did when you were a child." He leaned towards her ear to whisper. "Let's see if you've still got it."

Rose grimaced at that gesture and as the Doctor caught her eyes, he moved his head slightly to the sides in a mocking manner. Rose frowned at him. _Clearly going all out for the game._

"Answer his question." Reinette spoke to the droid. "Answer any and all questions put to you," she ordered in a firm voice, feeling the backup at her side. All her life mysteries gathered in one room.

With that, the droid lowered its arm and began speaking. They learnt that it was the repair droid seven and that they haven't moved because they did not have the parts.

"Always comes down to that, doesn't it?" Mickey laughed. "The parts."

"What's happened to the crew, where are they?" the Doctor continued asking.

"_We did not have the parts,_" the droid repeated.

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship," the Doctor persisted. "Where did they _go_?" he asked with wide eyes.

"I think I have a vague idea..." Jack muttered, as the droid repeated once more.

_"We did not have the parts."_

"Fifty people don't just disappear!" the Doctor countered the droid, moving forward. "Where-" When it dawned on him. "Oh," he exhaled. "You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew," he said faintly.

"The crew?" Mickey asked, not understanding.

"I found a camera with an eye in it..." Rose spoke, making the Doctor turn to face her. "And there was a heart... wired in to machinery." _Okay, she did not see them this time, but it was clear it was the same situation._

"It was just what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find." The Doctor spoke, as he glanced the droid over. "No-one told it the crew weren't on the menu." He spoke with his mouth still parted, and teeth clenched, his gaze on the droid. "What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" The Doctor titled his head to Mickey's side.

"Someone cooking," Mickey answered, lowering his gaze.

"Flesh plus heat," the Doctor said faintly. "_Barbeque,_" he uttered the word with a stronger meaning.

Just hearing that, Reinette was already starting to look sick. As she swayed slightly to the side, Jack came over to hug her shoulders to still her.

"But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows, that takes colossal energy. Why come _here," _the Doctor considered._ "Y_ou could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to eighteenth century France?" Again looking at the droid. "_Why_?"

"_One more part is required,_" it announced, its head jerking towards Reinette. The Doctor, Mickey and Jack just stared at her, while Rose held her gaze firm at the droid.

"Then why haven't you taken it?" the Doctor asked faintly, looking back at the clockwork.

"_She is incomplete,_" it announced, as its head tilted towards Rose now. "_We'll take the spare part._" Just as the words echoed inside the room, its its arm shot up and it started to march towards Rose.

"Not a mere inch further," the Doctor warned it in a low voice, pointing a sonic screwdriver directly at him, covering Rose. Jack tightened his grip on Reinette.

Rose didn't know what to think. They were after her too. Even before all this timeline reset thing, they told her she was compatible. _Compatible as what?_ The brain? Spare brain for them to use until Reinette?

"Why them?" Jack suddenly asked, making everyone turn to face him.

_"We are the same."_

"We are not the same," Reinette was now getting angry. "We are in no sense the same!"

_"We are the same."_

"Get out of here!" She advanced, commanding him, as she let herself loose of Jack's grip. "Get out of here this instance!"

"Reinette, no." The Doctor tried to reason with her, but in the same instant the droid teleported out.

"It's back on the ship." The Doctor dashed towards the window, looking frantic. "Rose, take Mickey and Arthur, get after it. Follow it, don't approach it." He pointed at them. "Just watch what it does."

"Mickey and Jack can take Arthur, I have other plans," Rose said nonchalantly and gone further inside the room. The Doctor looked at her with horrified eyes.

"Where are you going? Come back here!" he tried to call out for her, but Rose already left the room. The Doctor began to pace in place; one time stepping outside the time window, another back inside the room, then again inside the time window and back forth. _Forget wandering off when he was gone, now she became so bold as to disappearing in front of his eyes._

"Doctor!" Jack's voice startled him. "We're going after it, you take care of things here." And with that, both men with the horse left, Jack saluting just before disappearing on the other side.

The Doctor shook his head, looking all nervous and worried. With one last glance, he decided to advance towards Reinette.

"Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for, there's only one way I can do that." He looked at her intensely. "Won't hurt a bit," he whispered, and after a small nod of Reinette, he placed his fingers on her temples. Both of them closing their eyes.

"Fireplace man..." she breathed. "You are inside my mind." She talked in disbelief.

"Oh dear, Reinette," the Doctor exhaled. "You've had some cowboys in here."

* * *

Seconds after Rose dashed out of the room, Rose gasped once again at the spectacular view before her. The great big mansion, the palace looked nothing like in the movies. It was so much more. The gigantic swirling staircase lead the way to the enormous hallway. Rose sprung around herself, breathing the view.

"It's you!" a voice shook her. "It's really you."

She then saw the King approaching her with a big smile on his face.

"The King of France!" Rose beamed at him, as she marched her way forwards. The King raised an eyebrow at her. Only then Rose realised how bold she must had looked like.

"Oh. I'm...sorry, is this the time where I have to bow?" she asked shyly, slightly laughing, making the King laugh himself.

"No. It's alright. I don't expect my Lucky Guardian to bow to me." He smiled at her warmly.

"Lucky Guardian?" Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

"That time you really helped me out. I even thought of a possibility it all being a dream. Now, that I see you before my eyes, it's hard to believe what I see." He smiled and extended his hand, tugging a loose string of Rose's hair under her ear. Rose started to look nervous. That was _not_ how she wanted things to progress.

Feeling her distress, the King retreated immediately. "I'm terribly sorry. It was not my place to do this to the higher being." He spoke faintly.

_Higher being? _

"W-what?" Rose stammered, blinking.

"You're not from this world I hear," he answered her. "I didn't want to believe. The stories I heard from Reinette were so unbelievable. Visitors from another world!" He laughed in disbelief. "But now I see it all true."

Rose began smiling at that. "Reinette talked about us?"

"Just with some close friends. I must thank you that I could become someone like that to her." He bowed to her gracefully.

"Oh no no." Rose shook her hands in front of her, feeling alarmed by that gesture. "Don't...don't do that. Really. That's just too..._weird_." She laughed slightly.

The King just smiled at her and straightened himself up. "As a King of France I never had to bow to anyone. And I"m not planning to do so in the future. I bow to a being of another world."

"Okay..." Rose trailed off, chuckling nervously.

"Whom do I have to thank for such a pleasant surprise?" The King asked with enthusiasm.

"Oh..." She shrugged._ Was battling with clockwork droids, which want Reinette's brain and for some reason mine too, then decided to visit the king. Right. Like that could be the answer. "_Got a bit lost...on one of my missions." Was all she said, but it seemed to be enough to gain even more respect from the King.

"Oh, do you need a tour then?" He gestured gracefully towards the corridor.

"Oh no. I thank you, but I think it's time I go." Rose gave him an apologetic smile.

"So soon." He seemed sad. Then his face lit up like he had just thought of a brilliant idea. "Would you like to come to a ball this month?" He looked expectantly at her.

Rose's eyes widened at the offer she had just heard, her mouth slightly parted. _Just like that? "_Oh, um, ah..." She laughed slightly, the King watching her with adoration. "I think I'll not make it in time...In a month..."

"That's no problem at all. I'll wait for you to come," he reassured her, Rose smiled at him nervously.

"No, I mean..." Rose bit her lip. "I can't promise you the date really..." She trailed off. "I really just come and go. Don't know when I end up here again... You know what, let's just forget it." She tried to dismiss him.

"No no. That's alright," the King cut her off. "If you say four months - be it four months. If you say a year - be it a year. I shall wait for your return. Be it our future promise." He bowed slightly, taking her hand into his and placing a soft kiss.

Rose blushed slightly. "Alright... I will-" She gestured to the side with her head. "Go then." As she started to depart. Then she suddenly stopped, making the man look at her questioningly, as she advanced towards him.

"I'm _Rose_, by the way," she announced, looking in the confused man's eyes. "My name," she added. "I prefer called that, rather than the being of another world." She smirked at him and with that, turned around to dash upstairs, towards the room, where her world was located at.

* * *

"If there is anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a _door_ and close it," the Doctor instructed Reinette, as he began walking among her memories. "I won't look." After a short pause. "Ooh.. actually... there's a _door_ just there."

Reinette opened her eyes for a moment, grinning slyly.

"You might want to clo- ooh." The Doctor still with eyes closed. "Actually, several."

"To walk among the memories of another living soul..." Reinette spoke softly, her eyes closed once more. "Do you ever get used to this?"

"I don't make a habit of it," he whispered. "What age are you?" the Doctor suddenly asked, grimacing questioningly.

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation." She opened her eyes to look at him once more. "How promising." She winked at him, although, he didn't see it.

"No, not my question - theirs." The Doctor oblivious to that. "You're twenty-three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough."

Suddenly Reinette flinched. The Doctor was quick to feel it, as he began apologizing.

"Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect."

"Oh, such a lonely childhood..." she breathed.

"It'll pass. Stay with me." He tried to soothe her.

"Such a lonely life..." She spoke softly again. "But that light..."

"You have not been lonely in your life. And what light?" The Doctor frowned at that.

Then Reinette gasped. "Oh Doctor, that golden light in your life now. The Bad Wolf," she exhaled, making the Doctor jump back from her, looking at her with frantic eyes.

"How did you do that?"

"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction..." she explained to him. The Doctor just stared at her, all vulnerable.

"I might have wanted something more from you before," she began softly. "But now I see that it was never my place to take." She smiled warmly at him, the Doctor just stared at her in disbelief.

"It's everyone's dream to have someone, who brings so much light in one's life. Treasure it, my Doctor." She cupped his face, caressing it slightly.

"I can't," the Doctor whispered, closing his eyes.

"I have never seen anything like it," she whispered, fondly. "It may have been my first time to see someone's mind, but what I saw was beyond any dream. Such loneliness, such sadness, and such hope. " She forced him to look at her, as she felt him bury the light under the steel doors. "Don't be scared of it. Don't hide it. It's your chance." She shook his head a bit to make her point.

Everything was alright. He was just going to live on, leaving Rose's secret behind him, just to stay closer with her for some more. But then Sarah Jane saw his inner turmoil, shaking him - making him snap at Rose in a way he didn't ever meant to and thus, triggering her to tell him about her travels. And that made him feel better. He felt like a heavy burden left his shoulders, he could stay with her for some more.

And just when he was starting to simply enjoy himself, he had to confuse Reinette with her and kis-...No no no. He didn't harbour such feelings. _Not him_. He wouldn't have let himself. That was a mistake. Rose was everywhere in his life, so he accidently slipped up. It was nothing more. _Or so he thought_. Because _then_, Reinette done something, which left him bare to the core. She looked inside his soul and saw _her_ there. Something he deliberately tried to brush away, was there, embracing his very soul.

And when he saw her standing there, in the doorway, looking at him with clear concern in her eyes, he couldn't help but tremble slightly.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Okay, this episode is,** difficult,** to say in the least, and I'm going to create the third part... I guess this a practise for season 3. It's a bit hard when you have to rewrite almost everything...But! I guess it's fun. Await more different bits in the next part. Already have it more or less planned, but thought that it was time to cut the chapter off.**


	25. The Girl in the Fireplace End

**Finally. It's done. Yay! Uff. It's long. Very. But now I can finally exhale a breath. Lol. Thank you for your amazing support!**

* * *

When Rose finally found her way back to the room, what she witnessed made her stop in place. No matter what she would have expected to see, this was not it. Just ahead of her, two figures were standing, facing each other. One smiling at the other, another looking completely terrified. All would be understandable, if the roles had been reversed.

There stood the Oncoming Storm, looking with wide eyes at the aristocrat woman of eighteenth century like she had his whole existence in her hands. And then his gaze slowly wandered to Rose near the doorway.

Rose gasped at what she saw.

Her Doctor not only did he not ease up at all, but his expression became even more terrified, if that was even possible. He looked like a deer in the woods, waiting for the time to run. And Rose was the wolf. Well, in a way that was very true, her part, that is.

"I'll leave for my dance now then," Reinette told them softly, making a graceful bow and disappearing through the doors. The room was left with a confused pair, looking at each other. One with concerned eyes, another horrified. Rose was so lost by this situation that she didn't even know what to think. _Just what did that woman do to him?_

She took a step forward, her hand reaching out for him, when he did what could be called as_ The Doctor shutting off._ In a second, he took a step backwards, his mouth closed, eyes unfocused, looking somewhere in the distance, hands thrown in his pockets.

"Doctor," Rose began softly. "You alright?" she asked cautiously.

"M?" He turned his head towards her. "Oh. Me? 'Course." He laughed a bit, the smile not reaching his eyes, though. "I'm alway alright."

Rose felt a stab in her heart. That phrase. And he was using it now. _Why?_ Just what in the world happened?

"Do-" Rose tried again, but was cut short.

"Come on. Let's see what mess those two got themselves into," he said in a nonchalant voice and made his way towards the glass window, swinging it open and going back inside the spaceship.

Rose watched him leave, her gaze on his back. She just couldn't understand any of this. What went wrong? What happened so bad to make him fall into such state?

* * *

Once back inside the spaceship, the Doctor almost literally flew through corridors. His pace caught light speed in seconds time. Mind you, he was still walking, but no normal walking was that. That was running in a mask of walking. Rose had a hard time catching up to him.

"Doctor? Wait up! Where're you going?!" Her calling him.

But he didn't stop. He just couldn't. His both hearts were hurting, beating at a high speed, more than ever was normal. He had to get away. _What Reinette said..._He knew that he cared for this pink and yellow human, but to this extent? No, it was not even possible. It was fair enough to think that he wanted her safe and happy, and that she may have been a flicker of light in his life, but to embrace his very soul? It was impossible. Highly utterly impossibly impossible. He couldn't be feeling that. Not so strongly yet, anyway. _Yet?_ Where did that come from? He could never give in to his feelings, so there was no yets there.

"Blimey, you can run," someone muttered.

He did not stop. He just kept going and going, corridor after corridor, until finally they reached their destination. Jack and Mickey.

"What have you got here?" Was the Doctor's first words.

"What have _you_ got here. Rose's completely out of her breath," Jack joked. "Were you so worried about us? Aw, didn't have to. There's always me, you know." He winked to them. Rose just gave him a nervous look, making him puzzled.

"Long legs there, doesn't even bother to wait for others," Mickey muttered, accusingly.

"Used the fire extinguisher, I see." The Doctor eyed the frozen droids.

"That was actually m-me!" Mickey butted in, trying to act tough. "Those tried to kill us! But I saw the fire extinguisher laying there, so I grabbed it and aimed at them-" he exclaimed.

"-And then you were nearly killed by them, as you forgot to press the switch," Jack continued. "So in the end I had to freeze them myself."

"Hmm." The Doctor managed only that, as he was looking at the readings of the monitor. "Time we got the rest of the ship turned off," he announced.

"I could always smash them, you know. I just figured you might need them for something." Jack still tried to get the Doctor's attention.

"Yeh. Right. I might need...them..." the Doctor ,muttered under his breath, not really paying much attention to anybody in the room.

Jack glanced at Rose, who just shook her head helplessly, then back again at the Doctor. "So." Jack came to stand next to where the Doctor was making himself busy. "Did you learn why they needed them?"

"Yeh," the Doctor breathed, looking at the monitor. "This ship is of age thirty seven. And they _think_ that once Reinette's thirty seven, she will be _complete._" He uttered the word sarcastically. "So they could take the last part they need," he exhaled.

"Okay..." Jack trailed off. "What about Rose then?" he asked cautiously.

At that moment, the Doctor froze for a second. Nobody took notice of that, except for Jack, who was watching the Time Lord's every move from the moment both of his friends joined them back in the room. Jack could sense the building stiffness in the Doctor's shoulders, but he didn't have time to comment on that, because soon enough, the man in question spoke.

"She's a spare part," the Doctor exclaimed nonchalantly, making the trio jump a bit. "Something to use until Reinette's ready. She's complete now, they won't need her anymore."

"You sure about that?" Jack asked, feeling a bit suspicious.

"Yep," the Doctor answered blithely. When in fact, he was not sure at all. It was all just guesses. And for once he decided to rely on them as facts. Well, usually he was right anyway. Often was he right. Rarely not right. From time to time right or wrong...either way, it was his only way out of this.

"Why don't you check her...I don't know...mind or something?" Jack shrugged, but as soon as he spotted Rose's horrified face, his expression showed something like an _opps._

And then there was the Time Lord. If before he was barely frozen, now his back certainly reached the highest tension level. His heartbeat quickening. He had to take a few deep breaths to answer as normally as he could.

"There's no need," he began. "Already checked Reinette."

_Stab._

Those words hurt Rose more than she thought they would. Of course, if they were needed for the same reason, then rechecking may not be necessary, but this was not anyone, this was _the Doctor_. He surely wouldn't reject an additional amount of information. He _would_ recheck. Even if he knew everything was ready, he could look at it again for amusement. But now - he refused. It was more than that, though. It felt like he flat out refused her mind. Rose could feel hurt and anger makings its way to the surface. She was already starting to take calming breaths.

What was so good about Madame? Why could he look into her mind, but when it came to her, he simply refuses. She though they were becoming closer to each other, but was it all just her imagination?

And before she could think about the consequences she spat. "So you can look inside Madame's de Pompadour mind but not into mine?"

The Doctor gulped. "I told you, they won't come after you anymore," he whispered, still looking at the monitor.

"Or is there a different reason for you to refuse me?" she continued, barely holding her temper.

_That done it._

"What do you want me to say!?" he shot back harshly, as he turned to look at her.

They stood there, holding each other's gazes, them full of anger and desperation. Rose wrinkled her forehead, swallowing the upcoming tears, but not breaking the eye contact. There was so much tension going on between them, that Jack and Mickey literally froze to their spots and were forcefully slowing down their breaths, to not make any sound. They were sure, they wouldn't want to get in the middle of what was going on there.

"I thought me and you were..." she half-whispered, her voice wavering. She could hear herself saying those same words after encountering Sarah Jane. Him telling her that he would not abandon her...how happy she felt to not having to say those words this time round. Who knew that history always seemed to repeat itself.

"Well I obviously got it wrong..." She smiled sadly, biting her lip. The Doctor turned his gaze sideways, as he gulped.

"I got it so wrong..." she whispered, then laughed a bit sadly, making the Doctor turn back. "So so wrong..." W_hy did she even bother?_ She purposely made excuses for him, that he ran after the Madame because he was shaken by the meeting with Sarah Jane, by human's fleeting life, but maybe it was not it at all. _Maybe it was because it was Madame de Pompadour all along._ Rose just refused to believe the cruel truth. And she came such a long way.

"Rose..." the Doctor began in a low voice. "It's not..." He tried, but cut himself short. He wrinkled his brows, as he was battling with himself.

"What, Doctor?" Rose asked softly, looking him in the eyes. "What did Reinette tell you?"

"Don't bring her in this," he said in a low voice.

"But it's about her, isn't it?" She raised her voice. "Ever since you came back from that room with her, you have been acting all..." She gestured at him, shaking her head. "I don't even know how to name this. What happened with her?"

"Nothing happened." He tried to brush her off, already looking sideways.

"Something did! What was it!?" she persisted, more than was necessary at the moment. And then he snapped.

"She told me that you-" he shot, his intense, watery gaze turned to hers. But he couldn't finish the sentence. How could he even begin to tell her what she saw? It was already scaring him to the bone, to drop such...heavy feelings on _her_... He could never look into her mind. It would be too much of a temptation. _It was scaring him... He was scaring himself... He was afraid of his own feelings._

"Me?" Rose shook her head slightly, looking at him questioningly. "What about me?" she asked softly.

The Doctor just closed his eyes, swallowing the intense emotions away.

"I get it." Her voice made his eyes snap open. "You won't say." Rose smiled sadly, nodding her head and biting her lip.

"Rose..." He tried to approach her, but failed.

"No. I get it." She lowered her gaze and made a step backwards.

"Rose.." He tried again, lifting his hand to her without thinking. _What was he even trying to tell her now? What was this sentence supposed to be?_ He didn't have to dwell for long on this, though.

Another step backwards.

"I need some time alone." Her voice cracked at the end. And then she turned, walking away in the faraway corridor.

.

.

There was a dead silence of sorts. Nobody dared to move.

"Rose? Rose!" Jack tried to call her, finally coming back to life.

"Leave her," the Doctor whispered, pleading.

Jack still looked frantically between the Time Lord and the space, where Rose just disappeared to. Mickey was coming back to life around the same time too, but nobody gave him the chance to say anything.

"What the _hell_ was _that_?" Jack was quick to ask.

The Doctor didn't answer, he just walked his way to the monitor, looking at it blankly, pressing some unnecessary buttons until Jack interrupted his trance.

"I think it's about time you get going after her," he said in a low and firm voice. "Or should_ I_ go?"

The Time Lord could feel frustration going on its way to the surface. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled harshly. Moments later, he was out, dashing in the search of his pink and yellow human.

* * *

She walked and walked, corridor after corridor. Now was her turn to run. She was surprised how quickly her emotions changed. She was running not from being hurt, but from anger, and directed at her herself. _Why did she not listen?_ The Doctor was clearly looking at her like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. _Why did she have to snap at him?_ Her temper going off in the worst timings.

She sighed and slowed down her pace, soon stopping completely.

They didn't have _time_ for such nonsense. Reaching Canary Wharf didn't exactly mean everything fixing itself. She may as well be trapped inside the parallel universe once more, making it feel like the hope was never there. She closed her eyes, as she cupped her face in her hands. _Why was she so stupid to suggest the bet?_ Really? She had no right to be mad at him, considering that she played the matchmaker for them herself.

She let her hands fall to her sides helplessly.

How much time they had left together? Clearly not enough. It would never be enough, no matter how long they would have. She chuckled sadly, when she realised that she could already count the remaining adventures on her hands.

_Time and Relative Dimension in Space. _

_Time Ship. _

_Time Lord._

_ Reset Timeline._

_Time._

Everything was about time. Time was everywhere. But they always ran short of it. She could already hear the minutes ticking away, passing by so so quickly.

Tick tock. It going like that. Disappearing in a flash.

_Wait._

She felt a cold shiver go down her spine, when her mind realised what was happening.

It was not the ticking sound in her brain. Oh, no. It was not the inside thought. It was going in the surface.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

She gulped at the sound._ It was near, so very near, almost as near as..._ She turned to her right to see her nightmare coming true.

* * *

The Doctor was running through the massive space in the spaceship, searching blindly. He was starting to get nervous, when he couldn't find her anywhere.

"Rose!" No answer.

He quickened his pace. It was bad idea to let her go alone. Especially when they were not done with shutting off the ship. He started to blame himself.

"Rose!" He tried again in desperation, but nothing.

He ran further and further, sometimes going back to places he had already been before, in case Rose was on the move. _But there was just no trace of her._ He started to curse himself once again. There was the monitor, for detecting humans, back at where Jack with Mickey were. Or Jack's manipulator. There were devices all around him for that sort of thing! Sigh. He ran off in such a hurry that he completely forgot about that. Always distracted when it comes to Rose Tyler. He chuckled at the thought. Oh boll, he was really doomed. One way or another.

Just as he was about to go back, he saw it.

It, because it was the view, the view which will haunt him for days, even if he would never tell anyone.

There stood his pink and yellow human, leaning against the wall, with her eyes wide, full of shock and fear. Because just to her right side, stood their enemy. The clockwork droid, pointing his arm threateningly at her.

The Doctor felt his blood drain cold, when he saw the two together. And just when he was reaching out for his sonic, preparing to damage the droid to no way of resurrection, something happened, which nobody predicted would.

The droid tilted its head to the running Time Lord's side, spotting him, making Rose notice him too.

"Doctor!" Rose called out, her horrified expression slowly turning into a relieved smile, the Doctor himself starting to smile nervously.

_But it didn't last long._

At the same moment, the Doctor already so so near the pair, an imaginary door, _or so The Doctor called it at that moment, because he didn't spot it to be there before,_ opened. Rose feeling the rush of air coming from just behind her, half-turned to see what was happening, when she felt a harsh push on her, making her unbalance and stumble inside whatever was behind those doors.

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled out for her, as soon as he saw what was happening. He reached his destination in a second, getting ready to press the button, but was too late.

_Too late..._

The doors shut close in a flash with the droid pressing his teleportation button.

The Doctor literally crashed in the wall. There was nothing else to grab onto. The droid vanished in the air, and Rose... she was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_No...  
_

_._

_No._

_._

_No. No._

"No no no, this can't be happening." Rose started muttering, but her voice rising from desperation.

_Can't._

"You can't do this to me again." She was caressing the wall blindly, searching for something to be there.

"No no. There was a knob...A door." Her voice cracking.

_Where is it?_

"Let me out...Let me out." She started to slightly bang on the wall.

_Nothingness._

"This's not fair. It can't be over yet." Tears were spilling from her eyes now freely. She felt her heart being ripen in two.

"Let me out!" she screamed, while banging harshly on the wall.

_Bang._

"TAKE ME BACK!"

* * *

On the spaceship side of the wall, the Doctor stood there emotionless, his hands placed on the cold wall. He couldn't fully describe what he was feeling at the moment. But he felt like an old scar was just reopened, and now was eating him alive. He was pretty sure that none of this had ever happened before, but he was feeling an absolute repetitiveness of the events.

_There was something wrong here._

No, in fact, there were a lot of wrong things there. For one thing, there was a door there, just seconds ago - now it was just an empty wall. For another, Rose was not definitely on the other side of the wall, trapped in a different world.

He released a frustrated sigh, forehead leaning on the wall.

"No no...this's not it. This's not it." He was muttering like a mantra.

"Not the end. Not like this again," he continued his mantra, fully giving in to his inner soul's feelings, failing to notice _what_ he was muttering himself.

* * *

"_Doctor? Rose?_"

Jack's voice could be heard somewhere in the distance.

"Rose?" Mickey's too.

"Doctor? Doctor!" Now just somewhere on his right side.

What they saw, was an empty shell of a man, leaning on the wall with his back and head, eyes unfocused.

"Doctor!" Jack rushed to his side, looking at him with worried and confused expression.

"Doctor, did you find her? The droids came back to life, we managed to destroy one, but another teleported out."

The Doctor just snorted sarcastically, as he pushed himself from the wall and started walking his way back to where they came from, not saying anything to the two confused men.

Both Mickey and Jack just glanced at each other and rushed to follow the Time Lord.

Back near the monitor, the Doctor was rushing about, pressing various buttons, searching for the way through. But everything gave the same results.

"Okay. This's not funny anymore. Why's Rose not with you?" Jack continued to interrogate the Doctor. "Didn't you find her?"

_Is finding and losing in the same moment even considered finding?_

"I saw her." The Doctor finally spoke, in his hollow voice.

"Okay. That's good-" Jack said in a half-casual voice.

"And I lost her," the Doctor finished.

"What do you mean you lost her!?" Mickey butted in, his temper going off.

The Doctor just sighed, stopping to fiddle with the buttons. "The droid opened the portal and took her to another side. They didn't have enough power, so it was only one way portal," he explained in a low, tired voice.

He just wanted it to finally stop. The loss to finally leave him. Couldn't the monitor for _once_, show the results he wanted?

"So she's back in Reinette's world..." Jack breathed, his worry for their friend rising.

Mickey tried to digest everything, when he finally spoke.

"Can't we just take her back? With the TARDIS?" Mickey suggested.

"We can't. We're already part of the events," the Doctor half-snapped at him.

Jack fell silent, the Doctor too, but Mickey suddenly felt like a rush of information went to his head - and it clicked him.

"Wait. You always said that those portals were all around that Madame's life, in different periods of time. Doesn't that mean even if we reach Rose, it would be years later?" he asked, finally showing some of his brain abilities, just choosing a very wrong timing.

The Doctor gulped at the words. "Yes," he whispered.

"Are you kidding me!?" Mickey shot at him. "We can't just leave Rose there like that, for God knows how many years."

"Five," Jack answered him.

"What?" Mickey asked.

"I checked the readings on the monitor," Jack began."It had the whole spaceship divided in time portals of Reinette's life. If Rose disappeared in that spot, it would be when Reinette's thirty two. And the only portal left to open is when she finally reaches_ completion_." He spoke the last words in a whisper.

The Doctor just closed his eyes at that, and started to search for the way to open the portal. He couldn't let himself dwell on the thoughts. They were already eating him enough as it was. He had to find the way to get through. Mickey looked completely horrified at the revelation.

"What, so you just leave her there for whole five years? Live your life like you want?" Mickey spat sarcastically.

"It's better than forever!" the Doctor shot back, his eyes full of pain and rage. He was angry. So angry at the world, at the clockwork droids, at this spaceship, at Mickey for his stupid remarks, Jack - not sure why yet, but he could surely find something, if he wanted. But mostly of all - at himself. It was his fault.

_If only he didn't let her wander off alone that time._

Everything went silent in the room. There was no comrade, gangmate, teammate, friend or even the Doctor there. Only the Oncoming Storm, filled with rage and determination, most of it directed right at him himself, making him more fearsome than ever.

* * *

Rose was sitting on the floor, near the wall, which just trapped her from the Doctor once again.

_Those bloody walls._

How far away was she from Reinette's thirty seventh? A year, two, five? Where was she? It felt dark in there.

"Heh." She laughed sarcastically at that. They just keep trying to split them up, and no matter how hard she fights against it, they succeed, once in a while.

_No._

But that's wrong.

They haven't succeeded. Not even once. Rose suddenly turned to face the wall, watching it sceptically.

"You haven't succeeded..." she whispered, caressing it, her mouth twitching into a smile.

"Because I came back!" She was smiling widely now. "I came back to him!"

However impossibly that was, she did come back. And she would do it again, any day. And it required another heartbreaking separation for her to remember that. Just why was she here in the first place. How could she had ever doubted him? Them?

They will find the way back to each other. If not her first, he will find her.

_He will come back for her._

And with that, she briskly stood up, taking in her surroundings. Well, first of all, she could identify that she was in some sort of cellar. It was briefly lit up, enough to see the objects and your steps, but not the details. Soon enough, she made her way to the door, and fortunately it was left unlocked.

Once outside the cellar, she found herself in the brightly lit hallway. The one who looked fairly familiar to her. She was still in Versailles!

_That was good._

She smiled at that discovery. Now was time to find her companions on this hard journey. Always go for the best - the King and aristocrat woman.

She was grinning the whole time, while running through corridors.

_"Your words mean nothing. You are nothing."_ She heard an angry woman's voice, somewhere in the distance, followed by screams of a crowd.

"Reinette!" Rose exclaimed, as she ran towards the source of the voice.

Soon enough, she was nearly swept away by the running people in their carnival wears, screaming and running for their dear lives.

She managed to hide in between the crowd unnoticed, as everyone were too much scared and all attention was drawn to the clockwork droids.

Everyone were screaming, backing away in the corners, when those creepy monsters threatened them with their blades. There seemed to be no end of the cries, when one person decided to take control of the situation.

"Can everyone just _calm down_?" the woman commanded, breaking the screams.

"Please. Such a commotion. Such distressing noise." She spoke, glancing at everyone. "Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And we are French," she announced, as seemingly everyone had forgotten that for the moment.

Rose smiled, watching the woman. She really gave her less credit than she was worth. Such panic, such distress, her own head was at hand, but she chosen to step in. And it seemed she managed to calm everyone down.

Well, Rose managed to speak for her planet on Sycorax invasion too, but she had practise before. This woman did not.

She was a charming woman. Everyone saw that. It shouldn't be such a surprise to fancy her. Rose was starting to feel close to this woman. She was even forgetting why was she annoyed with her in the first place? It was not her fault, really. If it's anyone's, then it's theirs - the Doctor's and hers, that they don't manage to communicate well. The Doctor being all closed off. Well, it was true that his sudden change in attitude frustrated her to the core, but there was always an explanation for that.

_"She told me that you-"_

_"Imagine that happen to someone you-"  
_

_"And I suppose if it's one last chance to say it. Rose Tyler-"_

Rose frowned at her memories. He seemed to make a habit of his unfinished sentences. Will she ever hear him say it?

Rose was once again too immersed in her own thoughts, that she missed half of the show. So she failed to notice that the droids spotted her and now were standing face to face with her.

Rose just laughed nervously at them. "Sorry, I don't feel like saying hello to you. Not after you forcefully dragged me here." She spoke in an accusing voice, but was left completely ignored. She found herself being dragged to the centre of the ballroom, knelt down on the floor, with Reinette right by her side.

* * *

The Doctor was working in full speed. Pressing every last button he saw - determined to open that bloody portal. And just when the last hope was starting to fade away, suddenly a wide glass window, just right under their noses, lit up, showing the wide ballroom with a terrified crowd.

"There it is!" the Doctor exclaimed, but not in a blissful voice.

"Hey, what's that?" Mickey asked.

"What's where?" the Doctor retorted.

"That. In the middle. Surrounded by the those things."

"They're called people, Mickey," the Doctor muttered under his breath, as he was once again plugging some cables in, not watching the screen.

"Wait a moment." Jack was now the one interested. "Is it what I see?"

"So am not the only one who sees it," Mickey complained.

"Sees what!?" the Doctor snapped.

"That!" Jack pointed at the screen.

And then the Doctor finally saw what they were on about. Right in the middle of the crowd, knelt two figures. One aristocrat woman, another his pink and yellow girl.

"Rose," he breathed at the screen, as he released a relief filled breath. "But..." His eyes were looking her up and down. "But that's..." A smile spreading on his face.

"Oh. Oh, that's-" He was pointing at the screen, while walking backwards. "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed with energy, making the other two jump.

"Rose is ready to get her head chopped up, and he says it's brilliant?" Mickey started.

"Oh yeh, it is, Mickey dipery boy." The Doctor watched the screen in awe. "Because you don't see what _I_ see!" he exclaimed, grinning at them now. "Her clothes remind you of something?" he sang, a silly smile on his face.

"Well, it's her clothes, I suppose..." Mickey trailed off.

"OH!" Jack finally noticing. "Is it...?" He looked questioningly at the Doctor.

"Oh yeh," he breathed, beaming at Jack.

* * *

"But I thought you said she was five years behind?" Mickey asked, not understanding.

"Oh, Mickey Mickery Mick." The Doctor laughed a bit, a smile tugging on his lips. "It was not readings."

"What?"

"It was not readings on the monitor. It was notes. Notes! A future plan!" he exclaimed, walking backwards towards the monitor. "It was notes left by the crew, when it was still alive, before they were used for the ship. It's years old!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm, gesturing with his hands. Then he gazed at Jack, who was working everything out in his own head and Mickey to find him completely lost.

"Don't you see?" He looked at them expectedly. "Those notes are as old as this ship has been left abandoned. They were not updated. What was right back then, is not right, now."

"And since we've destroyed a substantial amount of droids, which were needed for the original plan-" Jack calculated.

"They used the last energy bit to bring Rose to their final stage-" the Doctor sang, beaming at both of his friends.

"So we can get Rosie back, not even letting her miss a day!" Jack finally announced, as both the Doctor and him hugged each other in utter joy. "Ha!"

Mickey just eyed the pair suspiciously. "Wait. So what happened again?"

Both Jack and the Doctor just laughed at hearing him say that, and shook their heads.

"So, Doc. Do they need Rosie so they can open the portal back to this side?" he guessed.

"Could be." The Doctor shrugged nonchalantly. "But they're _not_ getting that." He pointed a finger at Jack, making his point clear. "We're getting her out of there." He grinned.

_"Hey." Rose's voice from the screen. _

They saw her beaming at Reinette.

"Is this really the time for greetings? Mickey complained, watching the scene.

"Never miss your chance to say hello." Jack patted him on the shoulders with a wink. Mickey just rolled his eyes.

_"You're complete." The metallic voice reached their ears, as it was directed to Reinette._

_"You will help us open the portal." Another directed at Rose._

_"Dream on," Rose mocked him, laughing even. It pointed its blade right by her neck. _

"Oh boll," Mickey breathed. "So what's the plan?" he asked urgently.

"How's your vortex manipulator?" the Doctor asked Jack, fiddling with the cables some more. "Come on." He was muttering in desperation.

"Not working." Jack cursed silently. "Can't pass through. Must have blocked the signal. Damn."

"Your useless piece of trash," the Doctor sighed.

"What now then!?" Mickey yelled.

"I don't know!" the Doctor shouted back at him harshly. "We need a tru-" he began, then stopped. Somewhere in the back on his mind he managed to see the fireplace as an option. He smiled in contentment at that thought.

"But of course!" he exclaimed in utter delight. "The fire-" he was cut short by a sudden voice coming from the screen.

_"Lucky Guardian!" The King's surprised voice echoed from somewhere inside the crowd. _

_"The King of France!" Rose's voice._

The Doctor' turned his head towards the screen.

"Lucky Guardian?" Jack asked, interested. "Now _that's_ a story I would like to hear," he joked.

"Who does he think he is. The King of France. Who cares about him?" Mickey argued with the screen.

"Maybe not the fireplace..." the Doctor muttered, as he began walking to the side of the room.

And before Jack or Mickey could react, a whinnying sound reached their ears. They sprang around just in time to see the Doctor mounting Arthur and jumping right at the window.

* * *

"You think I fear you." Reinette was talking bravely to the droids. "But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the _nightmare_ of my childhood," she spat. "The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me_, _then rest assured-" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "So will yours."_  
_

The sound of a horse whinnying could be heard somewhere in the distance. Reinette, the droids, and the guests, all started to look around for the source of the sound. Only Rose was watching the glass of a large mirror expectedly to see the familiar face. And she didn't have to wait long. Before long, the sound gone louder, followed by galloping hooves. After a few moments, the horse leapt through the glass of a large mirror on the wall, the Doctor on his back.

The guests started to shriek and Reinette's mouth literally dropped open. Rose was shaking her head in disbelief, smiling. The scene was nothing like in her dreams. The Doctor winked, as he trotted past her, making Rose grin at him. With a few circles around on the horse, it came to a halt and the Doctor dropped down.

"Hello." The Doctor grinned, momentary locking his gaze to Rose.

"Hi." She grinned back at him, making him giggle a bit. Then he turned his gaze sideways, to look at Reinette.

"Madame de Pompadour," he exhaled. "You look younger every day." He smiled at her.

"What the hell is going on?" The King was looking at Reinette and Rose questioningly, as he saw one grinning all happily, another smiling.

"Oh, this's the King of France." Rose gestured to the man. "As you have already known." In a lower voice, looking at the Doctor.

"Yeah?" The Doctor glanced him over distastefully. "Well, I'm the Lord of Time," he announced, as he approached the chief droid. "And I'm here to fix the clock."

He removed the mask of the droid, revealling the clockwork underneath, which elicited a gasp from the crowd. The droid pointed it's weapon at the Doctor at once.

"Forget it." The Doctor just tiled his head casually. "It's over." He glanced at the broken window, making the droid follow his gaze.

* * *

Back at the spaceship Mickey and Jack were staring at the shards of glass and the interior of the spaceship where the time window into the ballroom used to be._  
_

"What happened?" Mickey asked, confused. "Where did the time window go? How are they gonna get back?" He was starting to get nervous.

"Hmm..." Jack hummed. "Good question, Mickey." He patted his shoulder. "Good one." Nodding blithely at the window.

"What're you playing at, patting me like some sort of dog. I'm not a tin dog!" Mickey complained.

"A tin dog?" Jack looked at him puzzled.

"Nevermind." Mickey lowered his glance, muttering. "But what did he do that for? Going all out on the horse like a prince charming in his shiny armor."

"I pretty much get the part _why_ on the _horse_," Jack joked. "But why crash the window... Either way." In a more casual voice. "They will come back."

"How can you be so sure?" Mickey grimaced at him.

"He wouldn't have done that otherwise." Jack tried to convince him, even if he was not so sure himself. "They always come back. Come on, let's get something to drink back at the TARDIS." He nudged him to walk away from the window.

Mickey walked back inside first, Jack just behind him, and with one last look at the faraway window, he spoke in a whisper.

"If not, at least they have each other."

As he closed the TARDIS doors.

* * *

"The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts. " The Doctor looked at the chief droid meaningfully. "How many ticks left in that clockwork heart?" He leaned back, looking at it in a mocking manner. "A day? An hour?" he suggested, whispering.

"It's over." Now in a strong voice. "Accept that. I'm not winding you up."

And finally, the clockwork wind down and the droid went dead. The other droids followed suit and slumpped forwards, seconds later. One of them fell backwards, causing the clockwork to smash over the floor. The guests whispering amongst one another.

Finally happy to have the work done, the Doctor held out his both hands for the two girls.

"You both all right?" he asked them casually, smiling even.

"Yeh," Rose breathed.

Reinette just nodded, taking his hand, still too much shocked.

As he pulled both of them to their feet, Reinette asked.

"What's happened to them?" Looking at the destruction-filled scene warily.

"Weeell," the Doctor began nonchalantly, tugging on his ear. "They've stopped. Lost their purpose. Gave up. Kaput." He shrugged.

Reinette stood there, glancing from one droid to another, not yet believing it was finally all over. The Doctor just smiled, watching her, when his gaze fell upon another human being. Someone he thought he lost just a while ago.

He titled his head, as he looked inside her eyes, filled with wonder and insecurity. He just watched her, a warm smile on his face, provoking one from her too.

And then, not taking account of any destruction, the crowd or even the world, he just marched his way towards her, catching her in one tight hug, embracing her with everything he had got.

Rose gasped at the gesture at first, as it was a sudden movement of his, but it didn't take her long to bury her head in his shoulder and wrap her arms around his waist, holding him for her dear life.

They stood there it seemed ages, neither letting go. Rose was actually sure he would soon let her go, but he didn't make any reference to that. He just held her close to him, breathing her scent, her life being near him, and caressing her hair with his hand.

The double heartbeat, which was beating crazily at the start of the touch, was slowly steadying itself to its normal rhythm. His breathing was starting to even too.

He poured all his worrying, despair and lost in that single gesture, savouring it as peace greeted him.

* * *

A sudden graceful dance music shook the pair to come back of their own little world. They slowly broke from their tight embrace, although, still staying at arms length. They let their gazes travel around the room, just to make both of them blink, not believing what they were seeing.

What looked like a ruined room just moments ago, was now shining at its highest colours, crowds of people talking about there and there, some of them even dancing. The floor, as they noted, was free of any remains of the droids.

_Except..._

the area where both of them stood. They had a piece of droid just between their feet.

Both of them snorted at the sight, but still trying to stifle it.. As they looked at each other, all serious and all, they couldn't suppress it anymore.

They started sniggering and laughing about hysterically. Rose slapped his arm playfully, as she tried to mouth him "stop it", but failed miserably and the laughing just increased.

After a great while of laughs and happy yells, the Doctor just shook his head, smiling, and rubbing his eye, Rose clenching her stomach. It was already hurting from too much exercise.

"Huf," she exhaled, trying to settle her laughs. "It only can happen with you," she told him with a playful accusation in her voice.

"I'm honoured." He beamed at her, grinning all silly.

"Oh, shut it." She cupped her face in her hands, laughing. She brushed her palms from her face, moments later, biting her lip to calm down, while looking sideways.

"_Lucky Guardian!_" A voice from the crowd.

"Here comes uninvited trouble," the Doctor muttered, trying to look all nonchalant.

"Rude," Rose whispered to him, leaning to his side, but watching ahead of her, as the King approached them.

"Good to see you finally..." The man glanced at the Doctor for a moment, who just looked at him expectedly. "Accessible," he ended, beaming at Rose.

It made Rose flush at once. The alien himself cleared his throat and just pretended to look somewhere else, anywhere but at Rose.

The King didn't comment on that. He just continued with what he started. "I've waited twelve years for this dance. It would be my honour if you would please...?" He gestured to her, as he bowed to her, extending his hand.

Rose blinked and gulped at the sight, smiling at the man a bit nervously. "I would be honoured myself, but..."

"But?" The King looked sadly at her. The Doctor was already expecting her to refuse him.

"But I think my clothing would not be appropriate for that." She gestured to herself.

"Oh. I came to terms with that long time ago," the King assured her.

"Yeh...but..." Rose still felt uncomfortable around all those bouncing dresses.

"I can certainly help with that." A woman's voice caught their ears.

"Reinette!" the Doctor exclaimed, as she came into view. She just bowed to them gracefully and grinned.

"Come on, I'll show you." She gestured to Rose to follow.

Rose glanced at the Doctor for a moment and after he pointed with his head towards Reinette, she gave him a smile and disappeared with her in the long corridors.

* * *

Back at the ballroom, the Doctor deliberately tried to brush the King off, how to say in the softer way, but he was one of a kind. He didn't want to budge. Of course, our Time Lord didn't even try to hide his upper knowledge and influence of the world as he talked with him, but nothing seemed to work on him. And frankly speaking it was starting to get on his nerves.

And just when he was at the break of snapping, he saw _her._ If in 1869 he thought she looked beautiful, then this time she was...there was not even a word to describe her.

Besides the shape of the dress which fit her so well, and made her not only blend in with the locals but even gain an air of difference, making her radiate light. It was also the colours. The TARDIS blue which shone so beautifully on her that at that moment he thought nobody else could go so well with his magnificent ship as her.

It was like she was made for him, to be part of The TARDIS, to be part of his life.

He was so stunned by the sight, that only after a few warnings did he hear what was being said to him.

"The wine!" someone told him.

"W-What?" He turned his head to look at the man.

"The wine." He gestured to his side.

"What wi-" the Doctor began. He stopped short, when he saw half of the liquid from his glass poured on the floor, as his hold on it was loosened. "Oh." He gulped and stilled the glass, making a step forwards, to leave the redness on the floor behind him, acting like it never was.

The King would have commented something, but he had to agree. If he was the one holding the glass, it would certainly had met the same fate or even worse - shards of the glass.

And that's where he made his mistake. Too much lost in the thoughts, he didn't notice when a glass of wine was given to him and a man, who just stood there, next to him seconds ago, was already halfway in the room, marching towards his goal.

Rose was still having a small talk with Reinette, so she didn't notice when or how the Doctor came to stand before her. The first thing she saw was an extended hand towards her. She was already expecting it to be the King's, but as she looked it over in those few seconds, she felt like it was way too familiar.

_And not for nothing._

When she looked up, her mouth formed into a huge grin, as she saw the face of her Lord.

"Dame Rose," he asked her, smiling himself.

"Sir Doctor." She bowed slightly, placing her hand into his.

"Fancy a dance?" He grinned at her.

"You've got the moves?" she teased him, grinning herself.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to boast," he answered her nonchalantly, both of them chuckling seconds later, as he led the way towards the centre of the ballroom.

* * *

After a while of just dancing and laughing they started a small conversation of their own, thus making their moves a bit sloppy, missing a move there or there, or going in one place together, when it was supposed to be only the women or the men, but overall they put up with the speed.

Rose was enjoying herself to the core, when puzzled thoughts came rushing at her. He was taking this awfully well. Wasn't he supposed to worry about not being able to get back to the spaceship, to the TARDIS?

"What's it?" he asked her casually, looking at her.

"M? What?" She was a bit startled, too much thinking again.

"You seem like you want to ask me something."

"Well actually yeh." She wrinkled her forehead a bit, but still with a smile on her face. The Doctor just moved his eyebrows at her, encouraging.

"You seem not distressed at all." She finally spoke.

"Distressed? Why would I be? Party in Versailles, Paris, France!" He beamed at her.

"Okay, you." She laughed at him. "But I mean..." She looked a bit cautiously at him, making him stop, or both of them stop in the middle of somewhere of the dance. The others, already used to their sudden moves, just made a circle around them.

"What?" the Doctor asked her, looking at her.

"We're trapped here..without The TARDIS," she whispered. She expected to see a realisation come to his face, but found none of that.

"Oh, we're not trapped, Rose." He beamed at her. "Did I forget to tell you?"

"What?" She shook her head, narrowing her eyes.

"We got a way back." He nodded at her.

"But the droids..." Rose frowned. "You told them it's over."

"Well, for them, that surely was," he exclaimed half-laughing. When finding Rose's puzzled look pointed at him, he continued. "I might have had to..." He trailed off. "Wind them up a little tiny bit on that," he ended with still slightly parted mouth.

Rose just exhaled a breath at that.

"Tell me when you wanna go, we will." He leaned to whisper to her ear, grinning afterwards.

"You're impossible. You are." She hit his chest playfully.

"Same as you," he said in a low voice.

* * *

After a great while of a few rounds of dancing, they finally stood there, right besides the fireplace.

"You knew about it." Rose spoke in disbelief. "How?"

"Well, _that_ is a question." He tugged on his ear. "I'm not sure myself. Just before coming here, I had like a vision, of some sort, that I could use the fireplace." He placed a hand on it casually. "Nice mantel. After so many years, still as good as new," he cried in adoration. "Who would ever have the heart to discard such a fine piece of work," he continued. Rose just smiled, watching him. "More than fine! Brilliant!" he exclaimed, grinning at the sight.

"Are you going?" A voice from the doorway shook them to turn around.

There stood Reinette accompanied by the King.

"It's time," the Doctor said in a low voice, hands in his pockets.

Reinette just smiled sadly at them. "My guess is I won't see the two of you anymore? It sounds like a goodbye."

The Doctor just gave her a small, apologizing smile. Rose went towards the King, as she bowed to him. "It was a pleasure to meet you." She smiled at him.

"Oh no, it was my pleasure. If not for you, who knows where would I be now." He just smiled at her warmly.

"And I have to thank you both. Doctor," Reinette began, as the alien came to stand beside Rose. "And...Rose, I suppose I should call you, instead of the right hand." The group chuckled at that.

"I'll miss you, Doctor." Reinette smiled at him warmly.

"So will I," the Doctor replied with a smile, but not a pained one.

"Alright then." He clasped his hands, back to his cheerful mood. "Off we go. Rose. And...wish us luck." He beamed at them, taking Rose's hand and walking towards the fireplace.

After a few moments, the Doctor found the required switch. "Aha!" he exclaimed, all happy. "Rose, we found the way home," he sang in utter joy, smiling all silly. Rose grinning at him with her tongue.

"Twelve years..." the King muttered.

"What?" Rose titled her head to his side.

But he just shook his head, smiling. "Farewell." AAnd with that, the the pair rotated back to their world.

* * *

Back on the spaceship they noticed two things.

"Where's Mickey and Jack?" Rose asked, confused.

_Nobody was waiting for them._

"Tell you what," the Doctor said, all serious.

"M?" Rose looked at him.

"We've met King Louis IV and Madame de Pompadour!" he sang.

"I know," Rose sang too, tugging on his arm, and leaning her head to it. The Doctor leaning to her side himself, as they marched their way to the TARDIS.

After a few leaps, they finally reached their destination and swung the doors open, entering in all grand way.

"We're back!" both of them announced in the console room, laughter following.

_Doors slammed shut._

"Why do I get the feeling we forgot something?" Rose's voice from inside could still be heard.

"Really? Hmm, I get that feeling too," the Doctor added.

_Pause._

"THE FIRST DANCE!"

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Okay, tell me what you think of it. Really would like to know, if you understand _where_ I'm going with all of this and _why _I'm doing it like that.**


	26. Pete's World

**Apologies for such a long delay! I found myself in a nasty writer's slump. Well, it's only to be expected as I went deeper and deeper into my story, that way triggering a certain effects on the story ahead. It passed my original plan long ago and with this! Chapter that is. It crumbled nearly everything. So well. I nearly gave up on it, thought that I would just write something simplier**.

**But then again. How could I? Me and my twists. Lol. Anyway, I must express my utter joy for your feedback in these miserable days of mine! The only thing that kept me going. Really, it was awesome! THANK YOU!**

**Now, look below. Cheers~**

* * *

The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey were hanging out in the TARDIS. The Doctor and Rose both slumped in chairs next to each other (with the Doctor's hand casually dropped on the edge, behind Rose, legs on the console), Jack was out, having a shower in the TARDIS and Mickey standing by the console.

"And that weird munchkin lady, with the big eyes? Do you remember?" The Doctor was talking enthusiastically, looking at Rose. "The way she looked at you!" he cried, while Rose was laughing out loud. "And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!" He was gesturing with his hand.

"I thought I was gonna get frazzled!" Rose cried between laughs.

"Yeah! One minute she's standing there, and the next minute - rawwwh!" He and Rose mimicing fire coming of their mouths, followed by fits of laughter. Mickey was just nodding and smiling, not really following.

"Yeah... where-" Mickey tried to get attention. "Where was that, then? What happened?" Trying to keep a smile on his face.

"Oh, it was on this um..." The Doctor began casually, searching for the right words, Rose leaning to his side, grinning. "Uh, this uh... planet thing, asteroid." He shook his head, Mickey was starting to look not so amused. "It's a long story, you had to be there." The Doctor decided to drop the subject.

"Oh, I missed the TARDIS shower!" An american voice echoed in the console. The trio already there, chuckled at him.

"Had a good massage, Jack?" Rose sang to him, teasingly.

"The best." Jack grinning at her.

""Course he had," the Doctor added. "Way better than that pleasure planet of yours."

Rose shook her head, smiling. _If not his ego then gotta prove his ships' superiority._

"So, what have I missed?" Jack asked them, as he launched himself near the pair.

"Oi, it's already cramped here!" the Doctor complained.

"'Am gonna fall!" Rose cried, laughing, as she felt herself slipping from the edge.

"See what you did," the Doctor chided Jack, playfully, as he now had his arm around Rose, holding her in place.

"If you would just let Rosie sit on your lap, there would be plenty of room here." Jack winked at them.

Rose looked sideways at those words, starting to feel the presence of the arm around her more intensely now. Doctor was oblivious to that, though.

"Where would I place my legs then?" he cried.

Jack just chuckled at that. "So what were you saying before I came and made the place _more cramped,_" Jack said meaningfully.

"Oh, just a story." The Doctor shook his head nonchalantly. Then his gaze fell upon Mickey. "Um...What're you doing that for?" he asked him casually.

Mickey had his finger on a button on the console. "'Cos you told me to..." he simply replied.

The Doctor blinked at that. "...When was that...?" he asked a bit lost. Rose bit her lip, as she remembered how long ago was that.

"About half an hour ago..." Mickey replied blinking.

The Doctor opened his mouth, looking at the button. "Um." He managed to say, as he closed his mouth, his lips slightly quivering. "You can let go now." His gaze at Mickey, lips pressed together.

As Mickey let go of the button, Rose started sniggering.

"Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?" Mickey asked concerned.

The Doctor just shrugged blithely. "Ten minutes?" he said, all casual. "Twenty?" He tried again. After blinking. "Twenty-nine?" In a faint voice. Jack snorted at that.

"You just forgot me!" Mickey exclaimed indignantly. Jack was now laughing out loud.

"No, no, no!" Doctor tried to defend himself. "I was just-" He tried to _think_ of an answer. "I was just... I was calibrating." He looked at Mickey. "I was just... no, I know exactly what I'm doing." As he nodded his head, trying to convince everyone and himself the most.

And the next moment, the TARDIS console exploded, throwing the passengers on the chair to one side, Mickey on the other. Sparks and flames flying everywhere, console room shaking violently.

The Doctor scrambling to his knees, was now frantically trying to operate the console. Rose by his side.

"You really should check your driving, Doc." Jack joked, as he grabbed on the console to hold on.

"The time vortex is gone!" the Doctor breathed. "That's impossible - it's just gone!" He looked at the monitor in disbelief.

"What?" Jack asked in total disbelief himself, but was left unanswered when the TARDIS began to shake crazily.

"Brace yourself! We're gonna crash!" the Doctor yelled through the noise.

And then they crashed. The Doctor, Rose, Jack and Mickey thrown backwards, reaching the ground with a sharp thud. Gas masks fell from the ceiling moments later, followed by the blackout in the TARDIS. Only some cracking sounds could be heard.

"Everyone all right?" The Doctor was first to pull himself up from the laying position, but still on his knees besides Rose. "Rose." As he checked her. "Mickey?" he yelled to the other side.

"I'm fine. I'm okay, sorry," Mickey answered.

"I'm okay too, thank you," Jack said sarcastically as he stood up.

"You'll be fine either way," the Doctor replied in a whisper as he stood up, all his attention towards the rotor and console.

"She's dead," he breathed in horror, watching smoke rising from the console.

"The TARDIS is dead," he whispered, as he began to walk around the console, slowly.

"You can fix it," Rose stated in a soft voice, rubbing on his arm - trying to calm him down.

_Oh, she wanted to tell him that she's going to be alright. She hated seeing him so devastated._

"There's nothing to fix. She's perished." The Doctor was talking in a faint voice, pulling a lever back and forth fruitlessly.

"The last TARDIS in the universe... extinct." He just looked at the motor with a lost-hope face.

Jack wanted to say something, but as he glanced at Rose, he saw in her look that they have gone past this before. Now it was only their job to help him find that _miraculous cure_ for The TARDIS.

"We'll find a way. We always do." Rose tried to soothe him.

"Not this time. There's no way out," the Doctor just whispered.

"Either way," Jack interrupted his misery. "We've landed somewhere."

"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness," the Doctor retorted in a stronger voice. "We're in some sort of no-place..." Back to whispering. "The silent realm... the lost dimension... "

"Does it include sand and water?" Mickey asked from the doorway as he stepped out.

The Doctor straightened up immediately, a sudden hope flickering in his mind. He didn't waste time and walked out of the doors after Jack. Rose following behind the Doctor.

* * *

_A step..._

A single step was made outside the TARDIS and it was all it took for Rose to register where they were.

"It's windy here." Mickey named it. But it was different for her. It was not the weather she was concerned about. Far from it. It was_ the place._

Rocky mountains standing tall in the horizon, wet sand under their feet, and powerful waves surging at the shore.

_Why here?_

"Come on, a beach without some sun? How will we sunbathe?" Jack joked.

_"I'm burning up the sun just to say goodbye."_

_Maybe that's why there was no sun here...A place where she died. _

Some place she desperately hoped to never see again. But the universe seemed to have different things in mind. It would always let the history repeat itself. Maybe with a bit different things thrown in between, a different order, but it just made Rose time and time again to relive all the painful things she had been through. She felt a hot tear escape her eye as she watched the scene.

It hurt. Standing here. It hurt. And it was-

"It's wrong." The Doctor finally managed to say something, his expression pained. "Something about this place is...wrong," he breathed. His own hearts tightening at the sight ahead.

"Obviously, a beach without a sun is a torture!" Jack exclaimed.

"So where're we?" Mickey asked, looking around.

"Somewhere on the Earth..." The Doctor began faintly as he made quite a few steps forward, leaving the trio a bit behind.

He didn't understand, why this place made his hearts ache so much. He could try to convince himself that it was all because of the TARDIS, or that they seemed to be in a different universe altogether, but in the end, it was not it. Because his heartache made him forget even the death of his precious ship. Something was missing. But he didn't know what.

_A missing piece in a puzzle._

A voice. His own voice calling for someone. Or he thought like he wanted to call for someone.

Rose's breath hitched, when she saw the Doctor's right hand lift up in the air, reaching out for something, like it wanted to touch something, something what was not there.

"Norway," he breathed.

_It worked like a trigger in Rose's mind. _Before her own awareness reached her of what was she doing, she was already one step behind the Doctor. His back was turned to her face as he stood there still, reaching out.

_"Can I...?"_ A memory echoed inside her mind as she raised her own hand, it hovering just above his pinstriped back. She hesitated, one time, two times, her fingers trembling.

_"I'm still just an image. No touch."_ Another memory playing out in her head.

Would it disappear? If she reached out for him now, would her hand go through? Would she wake up from all of this, like it was just another dream? _Was everything just a dream?_ Was she originally standing here, on this bloody beach alone, watching the empty scene before her and her mind playing tricks of what could have been different?

She clenched her fingers in an unsteady fist as her trembling hands were batting with her, aching for that final step. A touch. Just a simple touch, to let her know that he was here. Or not. Desperately hoping it was the former than the later.

_A second passed. _

Another...Until she finally grazed his back with her fingers, then palm with delicacy.

_He was really here now. Not an image. Flesh and blood. _

With the touch Doctor turned around to face her. He knew who it was. He could feel her coming ages ago. Maybe it was because of his Time Lord's genes, or maybe just because she was Rose Tyler.

"Rose," he said in a low, husky voice. Rose swallowed the lump in her throat. She could barely breathe now.

_"Rose... Rose... Rose...ROSE!" _Another flashback of his voice calling her in her mind, calling her to come to this beach, to him - one last time.

And then his eyes fell on hers, deep brown eyes, locking their gaze with hers. He was not saying anything. Neither of them was. Rose's mouth was twitching slightly, forming a small smile. A content one. Her hand now resting on his arm, tugging on it, holding on like her life depended on it. Because it did. This was the place where she died. But now...she may be having the chance to live again.

On this cursed beach, on the worst day of her life, she was here, together with the one person she had ever wanted to be with.

And then, they found themselves in each other's embrace. Rose's arms around his neck, face buried in shoulder. The Doctor's arms wrapped tightly around her back. Holding her close with his eyes closed, exhaling a shivering breath.

They didn't talk about that. Didn't ask each other, why the other did that. It didn't need saying. It just felt right. Something they needed at that moment.

And the uneasiness the both of them were feeling, even if the Doctor had no clue why was he feeling like that, faded away, buried in each others arms.

* * *

"Doctor!"

An american voice shook the pair apart. As they broke from their embrace, their gazes seemed a bit dazed and unfocused. Rose still had tear trails on her cheeks. Both of them were feeling a bit unsteady. After such a long time, only standing there, holding each other, their bodies adjusted to that and were supporting each other comfortably. Now, with them apart, it felt like something was amiss.

The Doctor shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself. That was not how he was normally feeling. He could only blame the TARDIS crash and this parallel universe for all of this. Otherwise it would be no way for him to feel unsteady without Rose holding on to him.

"Doctor, I think we've got something here!" Jack called out for their attention again.

"It's alright. You should...go." Rose gestured to the TARDIS, her voice a bit shaky.

"Yeh. I probably should," he responded automatically, but his gaze still fixed on her.

When neither of them moved from their original places, Captain tried again. "You coming?"

The Doctor blinked at that, turning his head towards the source of the voice. Then back again at Rose. "I-" He gestured with his hand and head, tilting it to the side.

Rose gave him a reassuring smile as she nodded. His eyes lingered at her for one more second before he turned with his whole body, walking away.

Rose exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. Feeling the loss of the touch herself. Soon enough, a gust of wind reached her, making her shiver a bit. She placed her arms around herself, trying to warm herself up, as she began to walk towards everyone else.

Just as she was about to open the TARDIS doors, a squeal of happiness reached her ears. She jumped slightly, startled by that sound.

"Mickey, we've got power! HA!"

Despite the serious atmosphere just seconds ago, she snorted at that.

"It's alive!" the Doctor shouted out in a deliriously happy voice. Rose opened the doors.

"What's happening?" she asked, feeling infected herself by the sudden outburst of happiness, radiating from the Doctor. She found him right underneath the console, pulling out some important looking internals of the TARDIS.

"It's tiny." The Doctor seemed not to notice her, as he continued pulling out everything he saw from there. "One of those insignificant little power cells that no one ever bothers about, and it's clinging onto life," he spilled. "But with one little-" His voice cracked a bit as he fought with the cable to release its tangles from his head. "_Ounce_ of reality tucked away inside," he continued, once the _threat_ was tossed away.

"Let me guess. And that's enough power to get us home?" Jack joined, sitting on the jump seat casually.

"Not yet," the Doctor replied in a low voice as he picked up the power cell and sat back on the small set of stairs under the grilling.

"I need to charge it up," he spoke. And then he noticed Rose, sitting on the edge of the console grating, just a few steps away from him.

"Rose," he spoke her name with a silly smile on his face. "Look at this." He showed her a small piece of coral, emitting green light, as he was holding it cupped in his both hands, carefully.

"It's beautiful." Rose beamed at the sight, leaning over to look at it from the closer view.

Mickey just rolled his eyes. "As long as this thing gets us back home."

"Mickey," the Doctor chided him. "You don't understand the power of such a little thing. It has to be nurtured."

"I can show it delicacy," Jack joked.

"You would just break it apart," the Doctor whispered, his eyes locked on the small thing in his hands.

"So how do we charge it up?" Rose asked him softly, gesturing to her hand to touch it. "May I?" As she smiled at the Doctor, hesitating with her hand.

"Just be delicate," he whispered.

She smiled more widely at that, as her fingers grazed the surface of the coral. "It feels like it's humming," Rose breathed.

"It does, doesn't it?" the Doctor sang, grinning at her.

"Like the TARDIS," Rose added, sliding her fingers on it, carefully. The Doctor giggled at that.

Jack just shook his head in amusement. Both of them looking at the coral like it was their own newborn child.

"When are you going to charge it?" Mickey complained, making the pair jump a bit.

"Oh oh, careful." Rose cupped her both hands just above the Doctor's, preventing it to get damaged.

"Don't scare it, Mickey," the Doctor chided him, grimacing.

"It's so small. It can't possibly feel fear," Mickey retorted sceptically.

"You would be surprised what it can feel," the Doctor said in a whisper as his face lit up.

Rose gasped at the sight. "Its glow got bigger," Rose noted. "What's happening?" As she looked from it to the Doctor.

"It's feeling both of our energies," he told her. "I just have to give it a little bit of a nudge." And with that he blew on the power cell gently, it brightening at the contact. The Doctor and Rose beamed at that.

"I just gave away ten years of my life. Worth every second!" he sang, dorkish giggle following.

* * *

"So what, we've got twenty four hours stuck here?" Mickey asked, once they left the TARDIS.

The Doctor stood there, his hands in his pockets, as he grimaced in disgust. "This place really gives me the creeps."

Rose forced her heartbeat to steady, as it quickened at his words. She took a deep breath, moving a bit uncomfortably. She felt a hand around her shoulders, moments later. When she lifted her gaze, she saw Jack looking at her softly. She just gave him a grateful smile. With a quick peck on her head, he released her.

The Doctor was pacing about, ahead of everyone else, thus he failed to notice all that. "Twenty four hours in parallel world and with nothing but a beach," he exhaled, talking in a whisper.

"Parallel?" Mickey asked. "We're in parallel world?" His enthusiasm growing. "It's like on films, isn't it? Like an alternative to our world were everything's the same but a little bit different, like... I dunno," he continued on, without being asked. "Traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected..."

"Okay!" Jack interrupted him. "So what's the plan?" He directed the question at the Doctor.

"Anything, really." The Doctor just shrugged nonchalantly. "Can't say we got much to choose from, though," he breathed, sarcastically.

"Well, there must be an inn or something out here, somewhere." Jack tried to reason. "You can feel it where it is, no?"

"Sure I can," the Doctor agreed blithely. Then he stood in a concentrated pose; his head a bit tilted down, forehead wrinkled. "We go...um..." His gaze trailing from one side to the other. "Uh...that way." He sprung around to the right. And before anyone could react, he continued. "No no no. Wrong way. Nothing in there. We-ll," he considered. "Maybe we could find something there. But possibly only a a bunch of trees and sand." He waved his hand before him, in a gesture. "And roads, and-" he continued on, when a cough made him go back to the world. "Oh, right. So where was I? The inn. Right. A beautiful place to rest. With beds. Lots of beds would be better, right?" he asked them casually, grinning silly. Jack only smirked at him, Mickey eyed him suspiciously, Rose grinned. "So!" Back to his concentrated pose. "Let's try...um...uh..." He furrowed his brows.

"You don't even know!" Mickey complained.

"I can't help it!" the Doctor cried, when he turned to face Mickey. "It's another universe." He rubbed on the back of his neck. "I'm not used to this..." He gestured around himself. "Beach," he finally exhaled.

"Okay then. What date is it at least?" Mickey persisted.

"Date, date, date..." The Doctor began muttering, with his head tilted backwards, like calculating. "The date of today...is...2006...December..." He then frowned. "The day..." he began thinking hard. "What's today's date, come on." He began pacing around in circles. "Argh." As he tugged on his hair. "This universe's driving me nuts!" he exclaimed in a manic voice.

"Okay okay, guys!" Jack tried to calm everyone down. "We've got the year and the month. It's a start. And not like everybody knows the date. I never know after a party." Jack smiled slyly at the memories.

The Doctor shot him a look.

"We can try going down that road ahead." Rose suggested, gesturing to one side.

_Better do something before it goes into a fight. Boys. Sigh._

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Let's take a walk." As he took her hand into his, pulling her with him. Soon enough, they were a good distance away from where the TARDIS originally stood.

"They really don't see anyone else, do they?" Mickey stated, his expression blank.

"_Good to be young and so in love._" Jack sang, going after the pair, but keeping his distance.

"But he's old!" Mickey grimaced, walking right by Jack's side.

"Doesn't stop them." Jack laughed.

* * *

And the journey started. Step. Step. Step. Steps left in the sand slowly changing into the traces on the grass. They walked and walked, road by road, when they spotted the forest just ahead of them.

The Doctor and Rose were walking hand in hand, just ahead of Jack and Mickey.

"It's spooky here." Mickey spoke in a whisper. It was a bit darker in that area, shadows of the trees preventing the sun to shine at their direction.

"Boo!" Jack blew into Mickey's ear.

"Aah!" Mickey squealed, turning in a circle. "Where's it, what is it?" he was asking frantically. Jack was laughing out loud by his successful attempt to scare him off.

The Doctor and Rose half turned at them. "Kids, come on, don't fall behind!" the Doctor urged them. Rose nudged on his shoulder, playfully. The Doctor just leaned on her side, grinning, as they continued their walk.

They walked for around half an hour, passing a forest, some roads...Everything seemed peaceful, but quite deserted.

"Don't you feel like someone is watching you?" Rose whispered, leaning to the Doctor's side.

"Have you caught Mickey's disease?" the Doctor cried. "Scared of the dark woods?" he then sang, bumping into her shoulder.

"Am not!" Rose cried, chuckling moments later. "'s just a feeling...I dunno." She shrugged. "Must be nothing." She grimaced, shaking her head, trying to dismiss it.

"Or an alien invasion." the Doctor noted, nodding his head blithely at her.

"Yeh, or that." Rose nodded her head nonchalantly. They kept nodding their heads for a moment, all serious, when their mouths twitched - and they burst out laughing.

The both of them were laughing out loud as they continued walking.

"Just look at them." Mickey grimaced at the sight ahead. "Can't they get more cheesy? They are even worse than you."

"Does that mean you finally understood that I'm handsome?" Jack asked, interested.

"Forget that."

* * *

"There we go! An inn!" Jack announced, smiling in relief, once the group_ finally_ reached their destination.

"'Am gonna ask for beds!" Mickey rushed inside first.

The Doctor and Rose just snorted at the sight, shaking their heads. "All you humans think about is sleep! Wasting a third of your life. How stupid _is_ that?" he grimaced in disbelief.

"Being rude again?" Rose sang, grinning. The Doctor grinned at her himself, when he turned to face her. "It's true. Sleeping is a complete rubbish!" he exclaimed. "Imagine what you could do instead of that."

"What, tinker the TARDIS console or adjust some new settings to the sonic screwdriver?" Rose teased him.

"Well, I don't expect you lot to be so brilliant to manage _that_, actually you may never get to that point-" the Doctor replied all serious, failing to notice the visible mock.

"Doctor! Rose! Come here, they got beds!" Mickey announced, interrupting the Doctor; his head peeked out the doors.

"What do you want me to do in the inn?" the Doctor exclaimed.

"I dunno, go to sleep?" Mickey shrugged nonchalantly. When he looked at the Time Lord, the Doctor was only giving him the _Do you think?_ look.

"Okay. Maybe not," Mickey muttered.

"Come on, let's check it out," Rose said softly, urging the Doctor.

"Aw, do we have to?" the Doctor whined. "I can just stay...out here." He gestured to the park they just left.

Rose gave him a look. "We've got _hours_ till we can go back in space!" Rose looked at him expectedly.

The Doctor was trying to fight it, but it didn't take him long to give up. "Oh, alright. I'll step in." As Rose tugged on his arm, dragging him inside the hallway.

It was a cosy, wooden place. The hallway was decorated in green and red colours, the fireplace just a bit ahead, and a huge Christmas tree standing tall, right by the window across the exit.

"It's Christmas!" the Doctor exclaimed in disbelief.

"We just had one and now another one." Rose beamed at the sight. "Always comes down to Christmas with you." As she looked up at the Doctor.

"Our third Christmas now," the Doctor grinned at her. Rose just smiled at him. _Fifth, to be precise, but she was the only one aware of that._

"Rose!" Mickey ran towards her, all smiling. "They got a restaurant here."

Rose smiled at him. "Let's go?" as she looked at the Doctor.

"Ye-" the Doctor began, when something caught his eye.

_CRASH_

A young couple with a small kid, standing near the tree caught his attention. When the mother tried to give her child a snow globe, it crashed on the floor. Of course, the woman just squatted down there, facing her crying girl, soothing her. But the Doctor saw something else. It was like the snow globe went right through the little girl's fingers.

"I'll come a bit later..." the Doctor said absentmindedly.

"Everything alright?" Rose asked concerned.

"Mm?" the Doctor looked at her, a bit dazed. "Yeh, yeh. Sure. I'll be there in a sec." As he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright." Rose smiled at him. "Let's go, Mickey." And they went out of the room.

* * *

The Doctor was fiddling with his sonic screwdriver, leaning on the wall in the reception hall, when Jack came into the room.

"Had a good meal?" the Doctor asked Jack casually as he was still looking at his sonic.

"Could be better..." Jack spoke in an accusing voice. "You didn't show up. Why?" he asked.

"Might have found something." the Doctor grinned at his sonic, in his hands.

"An alien?" Jack asked, enthusiasm growing.

"Could be." the Doctor answered blithely. Jack beamed at that. "AHA!" the Doctor exclaimed, leaping off the wall, grinning all happily at his work.

"This should work." As he took a few steps into the room. "Gotta show Rose."

When he felt that Jack was not following him, he turned around. With the look he was giving, the Doctor just tilted his head upwards, exhaling. "Of course." His gaze back to Jack. "Where's she?"

"I don't know." Jack shrugged.

"I told you to keep an eye on her." the Doctor cried, grimacing.

"I left her with Mickey." Jack defended himself.

"Mickey? Mickey's not good enough!" the Doctor shot back. "She swoons off, leaving him stranded there."

_After a second, an echo of a voice reached their ears._

"That steak was awesome." Mickey's voice rang in the hallway. Soon enough, the figure came into view, rubbing his stomach in contentment.

"See what I mean?!" the Doctor pointed towards Mickey's direction.

"You let her wander off!" the Doctor cried, in an accusing voice. "Parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house!" he gestured with his hands, making his way towards the window. "All those temptations calling out." he ran his hand around the curtains, tugging on them harshly, like trying to find something under them or out of the window. But, obviously, not getting the wanted results. So in the end, slamming them shut.

"Relax, Doc." Jack put his hand on his shoulder. "There's not much to do here. You said so yourself."

"She could get herself into trouble even in a lock sealed empty room," the Doctor muttered. "Always makes people worry." He shook his head, as he was pacing around the room, thinking.

"What, you didn't like the steak?" Mickey asked, concerned. The Doctor just rolled his eyes at him, continuing his _walk._

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack announced, extending his hand to the receptionist.

"How may I help you?" Emilie, the receptionist, asked, smiling at Jack.

"Would you happen to know of any places, where people hang out around here?" Jack asked, grinning at her. "Also, it would be a great help to know the date of today." As he placed a soft kiss on her hand, looking at her flirty.

"I don't know any places besides Bad Wolf Bay down there and as for the date it is December the 22nd," she said teasingly.

_Thump._

The Doctor previously manically walking in circles around the room, suddenly came to a stop. His face fell. He sprung around in a flash and with a few huge steps was leaning on the receptionist's desk.

"What did you say?" he asked faintly, looking at her with wide eyes.

"I-I...what?" Emilie looked a bit shocked by that reaction. Jack let go of her hand, looking at her confused himself.

"What did you say!?" the Doctor asked again, in a stronger voice.

"T-that today is 22nd of December," she shuttered.

"No. Before that!" he half shouted at her, desperation in his eyes. "What was the place?"

"It's just a b-beach." She shook her head.

"How's it called?!" the Doctor asked in an urgent voice.

The receptionist locked her gaze to the Doctor for a moment, looking a bit scared of him, before she uttered the words.

"_Bad Wolf Bay._"

The Doctor staggered backwards from the desk like he had just been electrocuted. He was looking at Emilie with horror filled eyes, mouth open slack as he shook his head to the sides.

"No," he whispered, walking backwards.

"It can't be."

_No no no no._

The Doctor was moving backwards.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?" Emilie asked concerned.

"Doctor." Jack turned to face him, taking calming breaths.

"What's happening?" Mickey walked towards them, looking confused.

"It's not over yet," the Doctor uttered in horrified voice, and with that he flew out the doors, leaving a very confused receptionist following his back with her eyes, Mickey stranded there, and a certain captain, looking all disturbed.

* * *

_What's it, what's it, what's it, what's it, what's it, what's it?_

The Doctor was going mad inside his mind. Bad Wolf. It just keeps haunting them. _The end of the universe._ He thought they came to this parallel world by accident, but, of course, there are no accidents with him.

_And Bad Wolf Bay_.

Why did it sound so familiar? Why did his hearts ache at the name? He was missing something. Always missing a piece of a puzzle. Always there, somewhere near, but not close enough. Missing. Missing. Missing. What was the answer? What was it? He feared that the answer was always there, in his mind.

_Someone has been messing with his head._

He ran further and further, never stopping. Thankfully to his respiratory bypass system he could afford to run without a stop. But even if he needed to, he couldn't now. He just needed to get there. Now!

Pass the road, turn a bit to the left, run straight ahead, past the forest, further, another road, grass, ground, sand...

It was getting nearer, just a bit more, just over that edge ahead. Almost there, he could almost see the waves...

_And finally!_

A strong gust of wind greeted him, when he reached the place where they parked the TARDIS.

_Thump_

His hearts skipped a beat when he saw that he was not alone. He had to take a few deep breaths, when he saw Rose there.

For a moment, the image ahead cracked, showing a leather back of someone, just a head of him. The images blinked a few times. One time it was showing the leather, another the red back of someone. It went on and on, until it finally settled down on the present. He narrowed his eyes, in an attempt to concentrate.

There stood Rose Tyler. Her back facing him. Gazing in the distance. At first he just stood there, not moving an inch. Not sure himself what to do. But then, he decided that the gap between them was too big, and he needed to close it. The Doctor took a few slow steps towards her, although still keeping the distance.

Rose flinched a bit, when she sensed someone near.

_And then she turned..._

Slowly...her gaze not meeting his yet, her loose hair scattering around her face by the wind. He was replying that scene over and over again in his head; the blond hair touching her face, just to flutter in the air the next moment. Savouring each detail...when he gasped.

Rose lifted her eyes up, to meet his, looking at him in wonder, tenderly.

"Wh-y are you here?"_  
"Wh-ere are you?" _an echo in his mind prevailing the voice in the surface.

_And then everything fell into place..._

The last year went by in his mind by a flash, and suddenly there were no more questions, no more doubts. Just sheer happiness.

He stood there, watching her, his awestruck expression slowly changing into a relief filled smile. He exhaled a laugh, not yet fully believing what was happening. But when he saw her concerned expression, he decided that he did not care how any of this happened anymore. What mattered is that it did.

"Inside the TARDIS," he answered in a strong voice, gulping at the last word as he waited Rose's reaction with anticipation.

Oh, his pink and yellow human was so lost at his words. Rose shook her head slightly, looking at him in disbelief. She thought she was hearing things again. Everything this place had ever done to her was bringing out the last memories of them. Her eyes were starting to shine as they filled themselves with unshed tears.

It didn't take long for the Doctor to notice what she was doing. It felt so familiar, to shake the imaginary things out of ones mind. Wanting desperately to hold on onto such hope, but refusing to go that road, in order to protect himself. So he told her one thing, which she wanted to hear the last time. Something which shattered her last hope.

"_And I'm not just an image._" He spoke in a gentle voice, smiling fondly at her.

A wave of shock ran down Rose's body. She choked a sob from the words, placing the back of her hand over her mouth, looking at him with desperation in her eyes.

_Could this be real?_

"C-Can I...?" she only managed with her voice cracking as she took an instinctive step towards him, lifting her hand at him.

He just made a small nod, smiling tenderly at her.

The next moment she was running towards him, with all her might, even if their distance was only a couple of meters away. _She had to get to him._ And seconds later she did, the Doctor catching her in the air, as he took a few big leaps himself. Wanting her near himself. His arms were wrapped around her; them fitting together like they were made for each other. He lifted her from the ground, giggling from sheer joy, Rose letting a watery laugh escape her lungs.

"Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose," he was whispering her name like a mantra as he held her close, now back on the ground.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you alone into this," he whispered into her hair. Rose could feel her tears coming through her eyes as she shook her head and buried herself deeper into his embrace. She could feel when he kissed her hair softly, making her feel so dear to him. They stood there for, it seemed ages, rocking themselves slightly and caressing each other's backs and hair and everything. Just so they could draw themselves into each other's smell.

With a visible reluctance the Doctor slowly started to pull away. As his hands left her back and were now on her arms, he slowly lifted them to cup Rose's face into his both hands. He gazed into her eyes like she was the most precious thing in the world. _Which she was to him._

"Oh, Rose." The Doctor spoke softly. "I'm so sorry... and thankful, and _proud_ at the same time." He laughed just a bit. "All those _lives_ you have saved..." He was starting to smile more widely at her and Rose made a nervous laugh. "I'm so proud of you, my brilliant Rose." Caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"You came back to me." He said lightly.

"Yeh." Rose laughed at that.

"I told you, I was not gonna leave you. I promised forever to you," she said tenderly.

"Quite right too," he said softly. "You were right by my side this whole time, and I didn't even know." He chuckled in disbelief of his bliss.

"We've got an extra year to our adventures." Rose joked lightly and made Doctor laugh a bit.

"Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth. You really lived up to that name." He grinned at her and she beamed at him.

He placed his forehead against hers. "I missed you," he said tenderly. Rose smiled through her tears.

"Me too."

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**It is not over. With this um, "AU Episode", let's just settle on that. Some more twists coming next. Hehe. **

**I hope, the wait was worth it.**

**P.s. this is like a small part of _where_ I was going with my story. The next part should reveal some of _why_ going the way I did. ;D**

**P.s.s. Am I the only one from the North Pole or is it normal for the trees to be all green and sun shine in the middle of winter in UK? In the original script, Mickey read "February the first." So.**


	27. Pete's World Continuation

**Guilty! I know. But here, both of us are back - me and my chapter! Lol. **

**Anyway, I will be fair to you. _Confession time._ It's September already - busy time starting plus my chapters have gone somewhere in space (can only blame myself for making everything so difficult that even I have a hard time grasping the truth heh). So, the updates are gonna be something like that. Like once a week, if lucky twice a week. I was so sure I would be done with season 2 till the end of the summer, but I failed. And now the last chapters of season 2 are going to be...a bit slow. But, I believe once we start out with season 3, it will pick up on speed. **

**Now then. Enjoy ^^ I hope.**

* * *

"Look at you! You look the same as I remember!" the Doctor cried, when he pulled back a bit to take a better look at Rose.

"Yeh, I bet my mascara is all run down now." Rose laughed, trying to wipe it off with one of her sleeves.

"We-ll, you are a bit black." the Doctor agreed. When Rose raised an eyebrow at him, he was quick to add. "But nothing we can't fix!" he exclaimed all happily as he pulled his sonic screwdriver out and bleeped it on his palms. Rose just watched him in wonder.

"What-" Rose began, chuckling, when moments later she was silenced by the Doctor's both hands on her cheeks, caressing them gently. Rose blinked at him in question.

"Good for removing unwanted liquids. Just a bit adjustment by passing on the energy on my hands and it works like magic," he spilled. "Here you go! All clean and perfect!" He pulled back his hands off her face, grinning by the work he had done.

"Don't tell me you just washed my face with your sonic'ed hands." Rose shook her head in disbelief, but smiling despite that.

"Yes, I did!" he exclaimed all happily.

"That must be one of the weirdest things you have ever done," she said in a half-whisper, pushing her hair from her face, as she composed herself.

"Well, thank you." She tried to be serious, but had a hard time doing so.

"You are welcome." The Doctor beamed at her, and Rose couldn't suppress her snort any longer.

"What?" the Doctor asked innocently, feeling intrigued.

"_Nothing at all._" Rose pointed the words with her mouth as she pressed her lips hard together, stifling the further laugh from coming out to the surface.

After a while only just staring at the waves, she finally turned to face him.

"This's just so..." She trailed off, gesturing around herself with a look of astonishment.

"Mh-hm!" The Doctor nodded his head, grinning all silly. "_One major mystery_," he uttered each word meaningfully.

"But you know what's going on, right?" Rose asked him hopeful.

"No idea," the Doctor replied in an amused tone.

"What, seriously? You don't even know how you became..." She gestured at him. "Well, _you_."

"Nope," the Doctor answered blithely. "We-ll" he trailed off, looking upwards. "I might have an idea as to how I remembered all those things."

"Okay..." Rose laughed a bit. "That's a start. So what happened?"

"Emotional attachment," the Doctor stated, looking at Rose now.

Rose just blinked at him a few times. "Meaning what?"

"Basically it means just what it represents," he replied innocently. "And, although, it could represent many things at once, this time it just means what it signifies. Emotions _and_ attachment." He ended simply.

Rose just looked at him in a blank expression. "And _how_ are they related to your memories again?"

"Helped in recovering them," the Doctor stated in an obvious tone.

"So, If I get this right... And I'm not really sure what I should be getting here..." Rose smiled at the last word, the Doctor looked at her in amusement. "This place triggered your memories to come back?"

"You could say that," the Doctor agreed. "But it was not just this place. _Bad Wolf Bay._" he uttered the words in a low voice. "It happened in that school where we were at with Sarah Jane and Mickey, also in 51st century spaceship." he tugged on his ear while speaking.

"What, in the school too?" Rose looked at him in bewilderment.

"Well, yeh, but it was a pretty small thing." He shook his head together with his hand, trying to dismiss it.

"What was it?" Rose insisted. The Doctor glanced at her, and after seeing her intrigued expression gave in.

"Just the time, when you weren't in the school kitchen," he began, his hands in his pockets now. "I was dead sure you were running before me; me and K-9 as the last ones," he tilted his head to the side slightly. "But that was from our original timeline." He bent his knees a bit to make a point. "Of course, at that time I didn't know that, and it was pretty much confusing." He laughed at that bit. Somewhere along those lines they started walking by the shore.

Rose just nodded, trying to digest the information. "And in the 51st s-spaceship..?" Her voice cracked a bit at the end. She was not sure what were his thoughts on that now, since he had double memories of it.

The Doctor hesitated for a moment to answer that, his expression serious, and Rose thought it must be because of Madame, but what he said was not what she expected to hear.

"It was like literally reliving Canary Wharf," he said in a faint voice, his gaze focused ahead.

_It was the same for her..._

Rose put her hand into his pocket, searching for his hand. When she found what she was looking for, she squeezed his hand in comfort. As he felt her hand into his, he pulled them both out and looked at their entwined fingers. _They fit so well, like none other._ He smiled at the sight, squeezing her hand a bit himself. He met her gaze and smiled at her tenderly. Just then, the Doctor drew her a bit closer to his side, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, thus making her feel not alone into this after such a long time, and _safe_.

They walked for a while in a comfortable silence, before Rose couldn't suppress her curiosity for much longer.

"I thought they were gone," Rose half-whispered. "Your memories from those times." Shaking her head slightly to the sides in disbelief.

"They were not _gone_ gone. Like ever. Not _gon_e gone." The Doctor grimaced a bit, talking in a nonchalant voice. "They were just..." He rubbed on the back of his neck. "Locked away." He shrugged, gesturing with his hand. "Kept safe till it's safe for them to come out. Till they can run into the wild, embracing the riches of the world!" He went into one of his "story telling" modes.

"Trying to be poetic, are you?" Rose grinned at him, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

"Maybe a tiny miny bit." He considered. Rose nodded her head, stifling the snort.

"Alright then." She gulped. "And you managed to do that how?" Back to serious.

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor stated solemnly.

"Sure you are." Rose just smiled at him.

"And it's literally impossible to erase the timeline I once lived at from my awareness completely." He was talking in a casual voice, while they were walking by the shore. "The most one could do, although." He considered. "I'm not even sure what was that _one._" He grimaced at that, then shook his head, trying to get back to the point. "The most one could do is lock the memories down. With some sort of energy...something like-" He was thinking of the right word.

"Energy, working like a seal?" Rose suggested.

"Something like that." The Doctor beamed at her.

"But you don't know what that energy is," Rose stated, looking at him.

"Nope." The Doctor was just grinning.

"And why are so giddy then?" Rose laughed, slapping him on the arm playfully.

"Oh, there are plenty of reasons to be happy." He leaned to her side, bumping into her shoulder, grinning.

"Yeh?" Rose looked at him with tongue between her teeth smile.

"Uhuh." The Doctor giggled.

"Stop it." Rose bumped into his shoulder, chuckling.

"I didn't even start," the Doctor sang. Seconds later, he picked Rose up again, holding her in the air, spinning her around. Rose was squealing between laughter, holding onto him tightly.

Some time later, when Rose felt her head spinning out of focus, she was placed on the sand, just to sway on the side, thus leaving the Doctor to hold her in place, his arms on her waist.

"You alright?" the Doctor was asking playfully, his gaze fixed on her.

"No." Rose chuckled at that, her eyes closed.

"Take it easy, or you might need a Doctor." The Doctor formed a serious tone.

"Oh my God. That's so cheesy." She laughed, resting her head on his chest.

"Oh, don't say that. Already used that once," the Doctor said nonchalantly, as he drew her closer, resting his chin on her head. "Or was it twice now," he muttered, seriously considering it.

"Wha-" Rose began, leaning backwards to look at him, her eyes now trying to get to focus. "What did you say?"

The Doctor just giggled and placed her against his chest again.

* * *

Something was moving faraway in the distance, past all those rocky mountains and the beach. A black dot. Tiny but visible to the Time Lord's eyes. It was getting nearer steadily.

At first he had no idea what that was. He just looked at it in wonder and amusement, until his face fell. His double heartbeat skipped a beat.

He looked in the distance, his mouth slack open, the bottom lip slightly quivering, eyes wide. He stiffened in Rose's embrace, his arms wrapped more tightly around her, like preventing anything or anyone from taking her from him.

_He recognised it._

"Doctor?" Rose asked him softly, tugging on his arm.

No answer.

"Doctor, what is it?" in a more urgent voice._ He was starting to scare her. _

The second time managed to pull him out of his trance. His mouth closed together with his eyes as he gulped.

_How was he supposed to tell her? All those universes and chances...and neither managed to get things right._

"Doctor!" Rose shook his arm, making him turn to her side. She gasped, when she saw his pained expression. Her eyes travelled from one side to another, desperately searching for an answer to his sudden change. She could see it was hard for him to force himself to speak up. If given the chance, he would be anywhere, but here, in this situation. But he had nowhere to go now.

"_I'm sorry._" he whispered in such a faint and remorseful voice that it broke Rose's heart.

_Thump._

"Wh...why are you saying that?" She shook her head, her voice wavering.

_This couldn't look good._

He looked at her for one last lingering moment, before he turned, taking her together with him. "We've got to go." Was all he said.

"What's going on?" Rose still tried to ask, but got no answer.

"Run," he said instead. Moments later they began running, back towards where the TARDIS was parked. She half turned to see what was going on behind her back. And, although, her eyesight was pretty good, she could not identify what was the thing in the faraway distance, supposedly moving. So she continued to run, following the Doctor.

When watching the Doctor's back, Rose had all kind of questions swirling in her mind. But the main one was always the same. _Did it mean the end for them?_ Was the thing in the distance so dangerous? It must be, if they were running from it in a relatively high speed. Rose did not believe in fairytales' endings anymore, but she just hoped to had had a little bit more time together.

They were gone a bit of a distance from their beloved ship, so it took a couple of minutes to get back to her. When they finally reached the TARDIS, the Doctor literally flew into the ship, rushing about the controls in the console room, checking monitor and all kind of things.

"What are you looking for?" Rose asked him, getting inside herself. "Maybe I can help." She tried softly.

"No," he answered flatly, as he continued his frantic search of something.

_Because of that, Rose felt even more worried. _Something was very wrong. The Doctor wouldn't shut her off like that. They were past that ages ago, and now, more than ever that was not the case. The only possible explanation to that was...if it involved her well being.

"It's alright." Rose began faintly. "I can handle it, whatever that is."

_She was preparing herself for the worst._

It made the Doctor tense all the more. He didn't want to give her those news. _Anything but that._ It was just not fair! And to make matters worse, the readings he was so desperately trying to get, were not giving the wanted results. He leaned on the console, his hands supporting him, head down as he exhaled a long and heavy breath.

"What are you not telling me?" Rose's voice cracked at the end. "What was that thing?"

_She was not sure she wanted to know it._

The Doctor closed his eyes as he whispered. "_It's Pete's car._"

It felt like a slap in the face. Sadly it hurt so much more than that. She had imagined all kinds of horrible things. Hostile aliens invasion, something very dangerous that even the Doctor was afraid of. Cybermen? Those were dangerous enough. Daleks? Yeh, Daleks would be very bad news. But as funny as fate was, a car, just an ordinary car of an ordinary man meant every possible destruction. Pete's car. Her parallel dad's car coming her now, at this moment, meant that everything they feared of came true. Thus including Cybermen and Daleks all the same. _The void._ And her trapped in the parallel universe.

She knew it would not heal fast this time round, and it was probably the cruelest thing to happen. _After everything..._ Well, nothing she could do about that really. Rose took a few deep breaths, her expression blank. _It felt like she ceased to feel._

"I'll go check how long we've got." Her voice echoed in the still recovering TARDIS.

She could hear the Doctor's teeth clench as he gulped, swallowing the painful words or would it have been remorseful? Whichever where on his tongue then.

_It was not his fault._

And it was left for Rose to let him know that. But firstly, she had to get a hold of herself. She went through so much in the last year. All those adventures repeating themselves, but never really working out the way you expect them to. Always preserving the timelines, avoiding paradoxes. It was nothing new to her. But it was new for him. He may be a Time Lord, but it was_ not_ every day you find yourself tossed between your two possible timelines. No less, it was not every day you learn that no matter how hard your try, doomsday still reaches you in the end.

* * *

Once she opened the TARDIS doors, her heart skipped a beat. What was a barely visible dot before, now could be identified as a black moving object in the distance. They had to move fast, with whatever they were gonna do about that.

_She closed the doors._

"We-" Rose began, then quickly corrected herself. "They are getting nearer," she half-whispered.

The Doctor caught her slip up, but never commented on that. He wanted to pretend it was not who they knew were in the car. So he just nodded, fiddling with the controls again. He tried to put a tough front, but Rose could see through that. She knew him way too well. Despite the fact, that he was still looking for a way out, she could see that he had lost hope and was doing that only for the name's sake.

Rose slowly approached him and drew her arms around his neck. She could feel the Doctor's breath hitch and his fists clench as if searching for a rightful place to put them. When Rose tightened her grip on him, he finally gave in to his instincts and wrapped his arms around her back. They held onto each other so tightly, that it was very likely to leave some bruises on both sides. But their hearts were hurting too much to feel any possible psychical pain.

"This's not your fault." Rose whispered in his neck. The Doctor shivered a bit, refusing to drop his guilt on this with his body language.

"It's just..." _Not fair._ She wanted to say, but could not make herself to do so. "At least I've tried." Rose tried a casual approach on that, chuckling sadly.

His breathing became even more labored from the words. He was trying so desperately to ease his breathing, to soothe himself and his precious girl, but there was nothing to say to fix this. So he just tightened his grip on her, holding her as close as he could to himself.

They slowly pulled back from their embrace, the Doctor still resting his hands on her waist, and Rose's hands on his fore arms. "So, what do we need to avoid the destructible paradox from happening?" Rose said lightly despite her inner heaviness.

"Perception filter," he said, stepping back a bit from Rose to take a better look at the monitor. "But it's not working. Not enough power." He gestured with his hands madly, running a hand through his hair seconds later.

_The situation really was looking helpless..._

It seemed like it became some sort of habit for them. To stand at the edge of the World's destruction. And them being the responsible ones. However, if this was really the end, he will gladly welcome it. Stuck together with Rose Tyler was not so bad. And therefore, if the universes were going to collapse any moment now, he will use his last chance.

He turned around to face her, finding Rose in a concentrated pose, thinking of something deeply. The Doctor chuckled fondly at her. Never losing hope, that was so her.

"Rose." He began softly as he made a step towards her. When she did not recognize him, he tried again.

"Rose Tyler." Saying her name solemnly. Then he opened his mouth to utter the words...but-

"Perception filter!" Rose's squeal shook him in place.

"W-what?" he looked a bit confused, shocked to say in the least.

"I remember!" Rose jumped in place from happiness. The Doctor just eyed her suspiciously.

"Remember what?" he questioned her. He was really _trying_ to form a sentence.

"Rose-" he spoke her name tenderly once again, lifting his hand towards her.

"I know it! I know it!" Rose suddenly fixed her gaze on him. "I know of a solution!" she beamed, making the Doctor only look at her in bewilderment, his hand freezing on the spot. Moments later he tilted his head upwards, exhaling.

"You're becoming like your mother," he muttered.

"Are you complaining about me finding a solution to our miserable situation?" Rose dared him to say it.

"Course not!" the Doctor cried in defence. "Let's hear it, Lewis." He made a prompting gesture at her.

"Working on it, sarge." Rose played along, grinning. The Doctor gave her an urging look.

"We got a hold of this-" Rose grimaced, when she couldn't remember the name. "Um, alien technology back in Torchwood." She decided to dismiss it. "We found out that it used perception filter, but it was broken. So we had to boost its energy."

"What did you use?" the Doctor asked, feeling a bit hopeful by the course of the conversation it was leading.

"Dimension jumpers." Rose looked at him meaningfully. "They had the energy which was compatible with perception filters."

"We don't have them now..." the Doctor stated, furrowing his brows.

"No, but we have a similar device with us." Rose said, looking at the Doctor expectedly. The Time Lord's mouth started twitching into a small smile.

_There just might be a way out._

"Oh, of course we do! How did I not think of that?!" he exclaimed, walking around the console with more energy now. "Give him a call." He instructed, pointing at Rose. "And he better make it fast."

* * *

"On the scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the highest. What's the case of emergency?" Jack asked over the phone.

"Zero," Rose answered at once.

Seconds later, the immortal captain was standing right besides the pair. "Okay. I'm listening. What's the problem?"

"I need to borrow your Vortex Manipulator, Jack." The Doctor extended his hand.

"What for?"

"Why people keep asking?" the Doctor grimaced at that. "Just do as your told. For once." The Doctor directed it at Jack, but possibly meaning all the others including in his travels.

"If we take into consideration the little fact that I've left Emilie out there gaping at the empty space-" Jack began.

"Who's Emilie?" Rose asked, interrupting him.

"The receptionist," the Doctor and Jack answered in unison.

"Oh, so that's Emilie," Rose said sarcastically.

"What's with this thing?" the Doctor was looking at the device in disapproval. "I should have disable it ages ago," he noted.

"Lucky you haven't or else we would've been doomed," Rose sang.

"'Guess so." the Doctor breathed. "Give me that." As he snatched the Vortex Manipulator from Jack.

"Okay. I was robbed of my time travelling object. Anyone mind telling me why?" Jack asked casually.

"The thing is..." Rose began in a serious tone.

"It's working," the Doctor breathed in awestruck expression. "We've just saved the world. HA!" the Doctor exclaimed jumping at the last words.

"Seriously, perception filter is working now?" Rose got closer to his side, looking intrigued.

"Good as new." the Doctor assured her, smiling at her.

"That's great!" She exclaimed and the next moment they met each other in a brief hug.

"Alright._ Now..._ back to the inn!" the Doctor exclaimed blithely.

"So everything is fine now?" Jack asked to be sure.

"Yeh. Probably," the Doctor answered nonchalantly.

"Probably?" Jack asked incredulously. "Don't you have to check if it's fixed?"

"Yeh, I guess that would make sense," the Doctor mumbled.

Jack eyed him suspiciously, when the Time Lord was making no effort to move.

"It's..." Rose shuttered. "Outside those doors." She gestured with a shaky hand towards the TARDIS exit.

"We going then?" Jack asked both of them, but found only two living-statues, glued to the floor. They both ducked their gazes, faraway from the doors.

_They couldn't possibly step outside and see..._

Thankfully, Jack seemed to catch on and volunteered himself. Before he walked away, the Doctor called out.

"Give us your second one."

"The second?" Jack turned to face the Doctor.

"I know you have it. Just hand it over." The Doctor extended his hand.

"Aw, nothing goes past your eyes, Doc," Jack complained jokingly as he held out his second Vortex Manipulator.

"Superior senses, me," the Time Lord agreed casually. The next second he was buzzing the device in his hand with his sonic screwdriver, then doing something similar to the one on the console.

"Should work now." The Doctor tossed the device in his hands like a ball; swinging it, throwing in the air with one hand, and then catching with another.

"What should?" Jack asked warily.

"We're leaving now?" Rose asked cautiously.

"Yep." the Doctor answered blithely. "Ready?" he asked, turning to Rose.

"As ever I could be," she exhaled, going to stand next to the Doctor.

Jack looked like he wanted to ask something.

"We're going to use it to teleport back to the inn. Can't let our future selves notice," the Doctor spilled nonchalantly, like answering Jack's silent question. _The last bit was just an excuse, though._ He just wanted to be as far away from this place as possible.

"Your future selves?" Jack asked blinking.

"Norway, fifty miles in the radius of Bergen...There it is! Ulvehi inn." The Doctor was adjusting some settings for their location, ignoring Jack's question. _It was just way too complicated..._ "Better make it to the right place. Imagine us ending up on South Pole!"**  
**

"We could meet penguins," Rose sang.

"Yeh, you would like that." The Doctor nodded, smiling._  
_

"You're pumping a lot of energy out of it." Jack noted, watching the Vortex Manipulator on the console. "Will it work after use?" he wondered.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" the Doctor asked innocently. "You're not gonna see that one anymore. It's gonna perish. TARDIS power is too much for it. It gives the needed energy to boost the perception filter and that's it! A piece of junk. Trash." He laughed a bit, then added. "I tinkered it a bit to give you one last trip to the inn. Be careful when you teleport, though," he warned him. "You might get frazzled." Gesturing with his hands _fire going out_. "But I guess we'll see you in afterlife if what. No real harm done." The Doctor patted Jack's back casually. When noticing Jack's completely non amused face and Rose's head shaking in disapproval, he leaned to her side to whisper.

"_Was that rude_?"

"Just a bit." Rose nodded. **  
**

"Alright then. Rude and not ginger, together with pink and yellow, are teleporting out!" the Doctor exclaimed, taking Rose's hand into his. "Allons-y!" With that, he pressed the button.

* * *

They found themselves in some sort of cramped place.

"Not a cupboard again," Rose complained.

"It appears to be so," the Doctor answered casually. "Judging by the smell...uh, cotton, feathers. Yep, definitely bedding."

"Well, either way. We better get out of h-here," Rose's voice cracked as she found her leg stuck in something.

"Wait, don't move," the Doctor chided her. "Something's moving," he whispered, but was too late. Moments later everything what was in the closet on the shelves fell down right on top of them.

"Whufph" Rose was silenced by a pillow crashing on her face. She stumbled then, taking the Doctor down with her.

_Thud._

"Sorry," Rose said sheepishly.

"Not that I mind, but I think we took attention of habitats of this room," the Doctor explained lightly.

_Silence_

"I don't suppose you thought we ended up in Mickey's room."

At those words the closet doors opened, the bright light blinding the pair, as a young girl greeted them with shocked and amused expression.

"Not Mickey's then," Rose muttered.

"Hello!" the Doctor greeted the girl enthusiastically. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose." He gestured to her. "What's your name?"

The girl looked at them suspiciously. "What are you doing in our cupboard?"

The Doctor blinked a few times. "Oh, right. Up we go. Come on, Rose. Gotta represent ourselves properly." As the both of them stood up, Rose nearly slipping by the covers, so in the end, the Doctor had to steady her by taking her hand. When they finally stepped out of the closet, the Doctor squatted down, to meet the girl's height.

"Hello. Better now?" he asked gently, the girl just nodded. "What are you called then?"

"Flora," she whispered.

"Nice to meet you, Flora." The Doctor beamed at her. "You might be related, she is a flower too." He gestured to Rose blithely.

"You're gonna get a smack." Rose joked, joining the Doctor near the girl.

"I saw you had a beautiful snow globe with you," the Doctor said to the girl expectedly.

"It's broken. I didn't hold it properly and it fell on the floor," the girl said in a dispirited voice.

"Did you really drop it or did it fall on its own?" the Doctor asked mysteriously.

The girl's eyes sparkled at once. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes, I do," the Doctor assured her. "Now, could I take a look at it for a sec?"

"Mummy threw it away," Flora said, lowering her head.

"She must have," Rose said softly. "Should we look at the recycle bin?" she suggested to the Doctor.

"That's what I like about you. Always know what to say." He beamed at her. _He really missed having her with him._ Even if they did spend the last year together.

"Come on then," Rose urged him as she stood up. "See you later, Flora." She waved to the girl from the doorway.

* * *

"It's not picking up," the Doctor said faintly as they came to a stop near the trash bin and now the Doctor was busy scanning the shattered bits of the snow globe.

"Did too much time pass?" Rose guessed.

"No, it wouldn't matter. The signal must have been only temporal. Like a testing." He furrowed his brows at that.

"So what do we do then?" Rose asked.

"Nothing yet," he answered and stood up, pulling the sonic back to his suit's pocket. "Gotta find Mickey first."

"Oh, right." Rose seemed to suddenly remember him. "But he couldn't have wandered off far, could he?" she asked him casually.

"Let's find out." The Doctor raised his eyebrows as he lead the way in the hallway.

They walked through the corridors for a while, but everywhere seemed to be silent-dead.

"You may have been right. It is kind of spooky," the Doctor whispered, looking around cautiously.

"Mickey?" Rose called out for him.

_Silence._

"Mickey?" She tried again.

"Mickey dipery boy!" the Doctor joined.

"Mickey, are you there?" Rose tried, her head peeked out of one corner.

"Mickey dooby doo!" the Doctor tried. "Where're are you?" He stopped for a moment. "Hold on. That was Scooby doo." He shook his head, then continued walking.

"Mickey?" Rose called out.

"Rickey!" the Doctor yelled. Rose gave him a bemused look.

"What?" The Doctor just shrugged. "Thought that might work." Rose just shook her head.

"I feel like I'm searching for Arthur!" the Doctor complained. "Although, that one followed me on his own." Then he turned to Rose. "Speaking of which, where did you learn horse-riding?" he asked her, intrigued.

"Pete taught me," Rose answered simply.

"Yeh? That man was hiding all sort of things under his sleeves..." the Doctor trailed off.

They walked through the dark corridors just when a blur of energy appeared before them. The pair stopped right at their tracks.

"Hello! Captain Jack-" he began, extending his hand.

"Stop it!" Rose and the Doctor said together.

"Oh, it's you both."

The Doctor raised a knowing eyebrow at him.

"Was everything alright?" Rose's a bit shaky voice caught both men's attention. "On the beach." She tried warily.

Jack just gave them an uncomfortable look. "Not sure if it could be called as alright."

"Just tell us what you saw." The Doctor told him, his expression blank, unreadable. He was hiding his inner turmoil behind his facade.

"Well," Jack began, inhaling deeply. "First of all, you two met each other and Rose was normal, but the Doctor was only an image of some sort..." He then studied their expressions. Both of them just nodded silently.

"You said something about burning up the sun just to say goodbye. That was kind of romantic of you, Doc." Jack told him softly. The Doctor just smiled sadly. Rose biting her lips, preventing the upcoming sob.

"Are you sure you want me to continue?" Jack asked, making sure.

"Yeh," the Doctor said in a low voice. _They had to know._

"Okay." Jack took a breath. "Then you-" He gestured to the Doctor. "Asked Rosie where did the gap come out. I wonder what you drank that you didn't notice it was Norway, considering you have been here before." Jack half joked. The Doctor seemed to let it pass, Rose, on the other hand, began to frown.

"Then she told you that it was about fifty miles out of Bergen. Called Dårlig Ulv Stranden," Jack said blithely. "You seemed surprised by that-" he was interrupted.

"What?" the Doctor asked, his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"I said you seemed surprised-" Jack repeated.

"Yeh. And that _I_ asked what was the beach called?" the Doctor asked him again.

"And about Norway," Rose stated, frowning.

"Yeh." Jack agreed. "I told you, you seemed pretty out if it."

"But...but that doesn't make sense!" Rose furrowed her brows.

"It doesn't." the Doctor whispered, looking in the distance. "None of this is actually making sense here." The Doctor began pacing around in circles, tugging on his hair. When Rose spoke up, he turned his eyes, studying her.

"If all that happened for the second time now, how were we reacting to it the same way?" She locked her gaze with him for a moment. The Doctor's expression slowly changing from concerned, to a hopeful smile.

_Then it clicked him._

"But of course!" he exclaimed. His face splitting into one _huge_ and silly grin.

"What?" Rose asked him, watching his amused face. He just continued looking at her, grinning.

"What is it?" Rose persisted.

_"It's our original timeline._" The Doctor spoke the words fondly. It was the best news he could have gotten today.

"What?" Rose looked at him in bewilderment.

"Uhuh." The Doctor nodded at her, smiling all silly.

"Bu-...how?" Rose shook her head, not daring to believe what this could mean for them.

"It seems..." the Doctor began in a casual voice. "That whatever resat your timeline, only did that to our universe. All this-" he gestured around himself. "Was left untouched. So basically the ones on Bad Wolf Bay were us, is our past. Before you met me for the second time at Henrik's."

"That is..." _amazing_, she wanted to say, beaming at him in disbelief, when her face twisted in worry. "If that's me, in the past. Then we don't have much time!"

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked her seriously.

"After we left the beach, we came here." Rose gestured to the floor.

"As _here_ here?" Jack asked again, previously silently observing and coming to a conclusion that a very different Doctor was standing before him. Rose bit her lip.

"Oh, just one more thing to our crate," the Doctor said blithely. "We've had worse. Didn't we?" He passed the questions to Rose. "_The Stuff of Legends,_" he uttered the words fondly, looking at her suggestively.

Rose skipped a few times in place until she launched herself at the Doctor. Both of them giggling as they held onto each other.

"It's not the end!" Rose squealed. "We're gonna fight, right?" She pulled back a bit to look at his face.

"Till the end," the Doctor said in a low voice, beaming at her.

"And we have to somehow avoid bumping into one of our past selves." She looked at him sheepishly.

"Would be wise, that is," the Doctor agreed in half whisper. "Considering that you might want to avoid one _huge_ paradox, which could lead to some serious consequences, like-" He considered. "Oh, I don't know. The usual stuff." He shrugged blithely.

"The End of the World," Rose sang.

"Yeh, one of those usual stuff." The Doctor nodded together with her. Moments later they both snorted, followed by them bursting out laughing.

"Doc?" Jack tried to call him warily. Finally Rose and the Time Lord seemed to calm down from their fits of laughter. "It's still you, right?" Jack asked again.

The Doctor then came to stand before him. "No," he said flatly.

"No?" Jack asked, feeling a bit lost.

"It's Doctor, not Doc. How many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?" the Doctor spilled in a blithely voice. Jack let out a relief filled laugh at that.

"_Doctor._" Jack tried again, purposely uttering the word meaningfully, nodding his head at him.

"Captain," the Doctor said fondly. "Thank you." They hugged for a brief moment. When they pulled back, both men were smiling in their silent understanding.

Suddenly a voice reached their ears.

_"Doctor? Rose? Captain?_"

"Here he comes," the Doctor announced, smiling.

When moments later Mickey's face came into view, the Doctor was first to greet him. "Mickity-McMickey!" he cried, then gave him a bear hug. "Oh, it's been ages since I last saw you! Look at you!" He beamed at him, then considered. "Oh, you still look a bit stupid. But don't worry. We believe in you," he assured him seriously.

Before Mickey could comment on that rude remark of the Doctor's, to which Rose snorted together with Jack, who could barely hold his composure, the Doctor began walking backwards.

"Now then. The good team is finally reformed." He gestured with his hands, still walking backwards. "We've got work to do!" he announced in a lively voice.

"I thought you hated the word_ team,_" Rose noted, teasingly, skipping towards his side.

"Oh, not if I get to have such brilliant people." He beamed at each of them.

"Doctor." Jack called out for him between his laughs.

"Mm?" The Doctor looked at him in an amused expression.

"I think you gonna crash into someone." He made a pointed look behind him.

"Really?" The Doctor grinned all silly. "I wonder who that is," he cried, then turned around, nearly jumping backwards.

"Uh oh." he only said, looking a bit disturbed by the sight.

"Doctor?" A figure looked at him in disbelief.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**Yes, as you might have noticed, there will be the third part. **

**So. What did you think of this one? I absolutely loved your feedback on the previous chapter(as I always do). You really make me happy! Thank you, brilliant people =}**


	28. Pete's World Continuation Part II

**Just for reminder, Future someone is from reset timeline, Past someone is from the original.**

**I'm really looking forward to hearing what you think about this one, since it's the most AU I have ever done in this story.**

_**Edited version. THANK YOU for responding to my emergency call. (A/N)**_

* * *

There were many strange things Jackie Tyler had witnessed in her life, most of them happening in the recent years, but when she thought that everything was finally over, she was just proven wrong. Oh, and how glad she for that. If it was even real what she was seeing now. She had to make sure.

Jackie was walking steadily further in the corridor where a group of people where jumping around, laughing and talking all happily. And there he was. That bloody alien git, which broke her daughter's heart into millions of pieces, not forgetting to break his own two, Jackie noted. Yes, she knew. Who better than the mothers could see the pain and love in the youngsters' eyes. Well, the Doctor was no young being, he was way older than her daughter, that age gap really said something, but when he was with Rose, he looked no older than he would appear to the human eye. Mind you, even for a human body, he would appear younger with all his grins and happiness radiating from him when he was with _her_.

He was walking steadily backwards, completely unaware of anything going on behind him, just beaming at his group. And was that Mickey? And Rose? So she had found him! But...no. Jackie just left her daughter in her room, staring at the ceiling blankly. This couldn't be her. _So what does that leave things to?_

It took only a few steps more before the Doctor crashed, or nearly crashed into Jackie Tyler.

"Really? I wonder who that is!" he exclaimed all happily and sprung around. When his mind recognised the figure in front of him, he quickly dodged the _threat_ and was now staring at her in discomfort.

"Uh oh," he exhaled.

"Doctor?" _You better have an explanation._ Was all Jackie could think about, when watching the Time Lord. "Oh, bloody hell. That's you, right? You've come back!" She wanted to sound tough, but somehow just seeing him and finding all that hope to make her daughter laugh again, all the previous thoughts just flew away. When the Doctor just kept staring at her, she found her panic get over her.

"Oh my God." Her face suddenly twisted. "Are you a Slitheen?" she asked him in a raised voice. The Doctor just blinked at her. "You are, aren't you!? How else would you have been here. Oh, I nearly lost it. With all the cracks in between the universes closed, how could you possibly be here." Jackie was showing a disappointed and pained expression, but when the Doctor tried to move towards her, she composed herself at once, giving him a glare.

"Don't you dare touch me, Slitheen! My husband... or parallel husband, who is still my husband even if he lived his life alternatively, is a head of a big group. Even without the Doctor, we will put an end to you. Mind you, I even fought one of you myself." She said proudly, masking her burning fear.

"That was actually me!" Mickey said indignantly.

Jackie glanced at him in horror. "Do you read minds too?"

Jack found the whole scene absolutely amusing, and he had to stifle his snorts, Rose was just beaming at her mum, making her look all the more suspicious, until a sound of a throat clearing shook Jackie.

"Jackie Tyler," the Doctor began calmly. "I'm not a Slitheen. Never was and not planning to ever be. What's with Tyler women and Slitheens, really?" He leaned to her casually, like looking for an answer. "And if you care to remember, Slitheens tend to be rather big humans, which I'm neither. Nor big, nor human." He straightened himself up, his hands in his pockets. Jackie was trying to process things.

"Ooo, guess this skinnier stomach was of some use for you in the end," Rose sang, grinning at him as she came to stand besides him.

"It also is good for the _eyes_," he whispered in her ear, making Rose blush slightly. The Doctor was grinning in triumph.

"So it _is_ you!" Jackie breathed.

"It_ is_ me," the Doctor repeated playfully.

"And-" Jackie was now looking at Rose.

"Hello, mum!" Rose beamed at her.

The Doctor could sense that some big hugging moments were nearing them, and he would have not protested that much, if a sudden sound, down there in the hallway, wouldn't have taken his attention. Well, it would have been more accurate to say the sound in one of the rooms in a faraway corridor, which really resembled Mickey Smith's voice.

_This had to be fixed._

"Oh my, God. It's you!" Jackie breathed. "You are really here."

"Yeh yeh, that's very real me," the Doctor interrupted their emotional reunion, of some sort. "Flesh and blood right before your eyes. Cheers!" He beamed at her. "And now we shall move on to the next part. More important part."

"Oh-" Jackie tried to talk again.

"No no no." The Doctor put a hand to shush her. "Shush shush. You better not say anything, because anything you say can be used against you in court!" He pointed a finger at her.

Jackie just blinked. "In court?" she asked in bewilderment. "What the bloody court you're talking about?"

"Shadow proclamation has these laws," He gestured with his hand, another in his pocket. "Which currently we are breaking at this very moment. Therefore if we are going to stay so very unprotected and continue to mess with the time and realm itself we may as well all disappear about any minute now," he spilled, looking at her with big eyes. When she tried to talk with horrified eyes, he interrupted.

"But!" he exclaimed. "But, there is always that tiny miny but, which others fear or anticipate." He considered. "Depends on the recipient himself, I guess.. Anyway, that _but_ there just always comes, doesn't it?" he asked nonchalantly, beaming at his team, which now somehow managed to form a half circle, with the Doctor as the commander. "There has to be or we would all be _doomed_." He pointed the last word with his mouth. "So well," He clasped his hands, glancing at everyone casually. "To escape our seemingly miserable and dooming fate, which usually would give us no way out, unless you've got_ me_ here." He paused a bit. "This is what we are going to do to." He created a serious atmosphere, making everyone wait for his words in anticipation.

"Run!" he yelled out for his team, taking Rose's hand in his and dashing further inside the corridors. It took a few blinks for Jackie to catch on.

"Where the bloody hell are you taking my daughter, you git!?" Her voice could be heard as she was nearing them.

"Why are we running from my _mum_?" Rose asked the Doctor, while they were running.

"The universe is collapsing, and Jackie is the reason," he sang. "Blimey, I knew she would do that some day," he muttered. "Now, come on!" he urged everyone. "Mickey, don't slack off. You're part of the universe ruining too!"

"But-but it's Jackie!" Mickey tried to find reason.

"Stay there, if you want to get a mark on your cheek!" he informed him, leaving Mickey quicken his pace.

"You're gonna get slapped, once she reaches you." Rose joked.

"I'm counting on you." The Doctor just told her, as the brilliant group of four, followed by a very furious Jackie Tyler, disappeared further into the corridors.

* * *

First rule of the running and chasing. If you are on the receiving end, always know where you are going and by _no means_ get trapped on the dead end of the path. If you are the one doing the chasing, consider yourself lucky. And if your running grounds are made like a maze - just go with the flow. Jackie will find you soon anyway.

And so, the unbeatable quartet stood there, in the dark corner, facing a very fiercely looking Jackie Tyler. Of course, the Doctor getting all the daggers.

"Y-you-" Jackie was still panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. "You!" She tried again. "If you make me run like that ever again-!" Her voice was rising.

It took some courage, but the Doctor stepped forward. "We needed to get away from your room you're staying at, Jackie. We can't let our past selves see us."

"Past selves?" Jackie glanced each of them incredulously. "How past you mean? Are you from the future?" Finally with her breath back, she was now standing with her eyebrows raised.

"What, seriously?" Mickey dug in, sounding all excited.

"Weell," The Doctor began, rubbing on the back of his neck. "That's a little bit more complicated than that, but the point stands." He straightened up. "We can't let any of us meet their versions in the room." At that moment Rose walked up towards the Doctor and placed her hand into his, him wrapping his fingers with hers without even looking around.

Jackie was still looking at the picture ahead like she couldn't truly believe what was happening, but just seeing her daughter's bright face made any anger melt.

"So... you two back together again?" Jackie had a gentle smile on her face. "To that box of yours?" she asked a bit humorously.

The pair locked their gazes with each other and smiled, squeezing their entwined hands just a bit more.

"Yeh," the Doctor breathed, looking proudly at Rose.

"Yep," Rose agreed, smiling widely.

"Oh, come here, you." Jackie extended her hands towards Rose, who met her in a tight embrace eagerly.

"I love you, mum," Rose said tenderly.

"I love you so much, sweetheart." She tightened her grip on her daughter. "I'm so glad you found each other," she said softly. She squeezed one last time, before letting go.

The Doctor was watching the scene with a tender smile. Jackie Tyler just wouldn't cease to amaze them. Willingly giving her daughter away even with witnessing the battle of Canary Wharf. He grimaced at the thought. It felt oddly fresh. The feeling of holding onto the magna clamp, Rose on the other side... He squeezed his fingers into a tight fist as he drew his hands into his pockets. He had an urge to bury Rose into his arms. Not caring of the world around. He tried to get away to the side, to toss his thoughts away, or to avoid the likely smack in the face, but was soon spotted by Jackie.

"Oh no, you don't. Come here!" As she grabbed him towards her. What he found himself into was way more shocking than any Tyler's slap. She began planting him kisses and hugging him! He nearly forgot her habit.

"Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine!" the Doctor tried to protest, but it was all in vain.

"Just-" He was trying to struggle. _Kiss._ "Just-" _Kiss._ "Just put me down!" Jackie just wouldn't let him go.

"Yes, you are!" Some more kisses. "Thank you!"

She kissed him again and then finally walked off, leaving the Doctor to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, looking for all the world like a little boy with an over-affectionate mother. But despite his discomfort towards the action, he found himself smiling at Jackie's back. _He missed even her._

* * *

Mickey may have been the most excited and frustrated one of the group. He couldn't help feeling left out that somehow the Doctor and Rose had even more past together, of which he was not aware of. He really began to question his own place into all of this. Jackie took it all in rather quickly. Which was surprising, really, taking into consideration her naturally slow uptake. Jack found it interesting to finally meet Jackie face to face, not from the shadows, where he watched Rose grow up, and they have just been chatting about, avoiding spoilers though. The Doctor was trying to find where the alien signal could be coming from, but moments later, gave up on that task momentary and was now just watching trough the window.

He glanced at the hyper active group, which maybe should have found it wise to keep it down, considering that they were trying to get away from the paradox in the first place, but that was just how it was with this family.

_Family._

It still felt unreal that somehow not only he got them all back, but never (or only for a short amount of time) had he lost them in the first place.

"You alright?" Rose's voice reached his ears, together with a soft pressure against his arm. _Rose._ She was here too. That was the most shocking part of all.

"Yeh," he breathed, looking tenderly at her. "Just a bit weird." He shrugged. "It takes time to adjust to the timeline. It's like I'm still still living in the previous one."

"Tell me about it." Rose joked, remembering how it was for her at the beginning.

"You were brilliant." He told her fondly. "And I have no idea how you did that." He was looking at her with pride in his eyes.

"Yeh, Madcap-y was just _so_ brilliant," She said in a mock.

"Aw, it's a cute nickname!" he sang, beaming at her.

"A mad person. Very cute," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, come on," he groaned. "It's not so _bad_."

"No, tell me seriously. You think I'm mad, right?"

"I don't think you are mad." He spoke in a soft voice, locking his gaze to hers.

"The you with a crack in your memories," she said playfully.

"A crack?" He raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Shut up." She grinned, then composed herself. "So?" She looked at him expectedly.

"Mm?" He seemed to be a bit lost, he could very well disappear into her eyes, just watching her... then it clicked him that _that_ someone was expecting an answer of him and now was starting to look very worried.

"Oh! No, of course not!" He tried to deny it, but it was not very convincing.

"You can tell me." Rose sighed.

"Well, it's not exactly that I thought you are mad, just a bit weird. And there are a lot of weird beings out there! It couldn't fall to a negative category. It's just being a little bit different than others." He rambled, then looked at Rose, who was raising an eyebrow at him. "A little bit more different than others?" He tried again. "A bit crazy?" Once again. "Alright!" He turned his gaze away, giving up. "So I thought you were seriously weird and suspicious, but I still wanted to keep you close. I guess that makes me a weird one myself. Happy?" he asked her, faking an annoyance, but Rose just beamed at him.

"Yep," she replied with tongue-between-her-teeth smile.

"Good," he said nonchalantly, but a smile already breaking on his face.

A short yell and a sound of something rolling, making _thud thud thud_ sounds, took everyone's attention.

The Doctor and Rose just grinned at each other and dashed towards the source of the sound.

What they found, was a middle aged man, sprawled on the ground, at the end of the stairs. He didn't appear to be hurt all that much, as he could somehow maneuver into a sitting position, but it was clearly visible that he had a hard time standing up. Rose immediately descended the stairs to give him a hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked the man, concerned, as she lifted him, taking his one arm around her shoulders. "Do you feel anything broken?"

"What happened?" the Doctor asked as he joined her on the other side of the man. The man winced, as his feet met the floor and the pair had to drag him to a nearby couch.

"Can you focus?" the Doctor started bleeping his sonic screwdriver into the man's eyes, with one of its settings presumably being a replacement for a light.

"Yeh, yeh. Thank you," the man replied a bit faintly. "I'll be fine."

"Hmm, strained left ankle, but nothing broken. Shouldn't take long to heal," the Doctor concluded as he scanned the man's legs with his sonic.

"Are you... a doctor?" the man asked breathlessly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor." He extended his hand to the man who weakly shook it with him. "Can you tell us what happened?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, nothing much." The man laughed a bit. "Always was shortsighted, must have failed to notice the railing of the stairs. It just felt like they have disappeared. Annie always told me to bring my glasses," he muttered.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other. He gave her a meaningful look as he excused himself, leaving Rose to deal with the man, while he went over to the railing to give it a scan. He began to scan from the bottom and was halfway towards the top, when the sonic picked something up, together with three familiar faces. Before Jackie could start to complain, the Doctor exclaimed.

"Found it. Ha!" He looked excited.

"Found what?" Jackie asked in a raised voice. "Is there another bloody alien invasion on the list? Oh for God's sake, I just barely survived one," she complained.

"It went upstairs..." the Doctor half-whispered, ignoring Jackie as he continued to go up.

"What have you picked up?" Jack asked, following the Doctor.

"A telekinesis species," the Doctor replied absentmindedly. "But something is not right. Their DNA doesn't match up with that of a telekinesis type. It's altered. An altered species." He was looking at his sonic in concentration.

"Altered telekinesis." Jack began thinking. "They've began experimenting with some of the races in forty sixth century. Starting with Alexus. But it never worked out - they went mad," Jack stated.

"Not all," the Doctor breathed.

"Just tell us what we are dealing with!" Jackie demanded.

"Invisobolius," the Doctor said.

"Invisobolius?" Jack asked incredulously. "But I thought they don't go near the humanoid species!"

"They don't. They must have fallen through the breach between the universes," the Doctor said.

"How dangerous are they?" Rose asked casually, when she caught up with others, after leaving the man in the medical care. She was now already standing near the group. The Doctor seemed to take her presence quite naturally as he just continued on with his explanations.

"They are not hostile aliens from nature. In fact, they are considered trickster species, working class on Jews. The planet not the people." He was talking while the group was going trough the corridors. "Usually give trouble to tourists at the markets they are working at. Overpriced goods, stealing wallets and so on."

"But?" Rose asked, already feeling it coming.

"But," the Doctor repeated. "If they get scared they tend to run. And fast. The more intimidated it is, the faster is its speed. It's impossible to track them down with human eye, and not many aliens can keep an eye on them."

"Can Time Lords?" Jack asked.

"Time Lords can spot their residual energy, but not actually see them until they slow their pace down," he spilled "The thing is, that energy, Demning Crisp-"

"A what?" Jackie butted in.

"Time Lord terminology." He just dismissed her. "That energy disturbs molecules and atoms, stretching the space between them, that way disturbing their structure and leaving holes. And those holes make the objects go through."

"So it swallows them?" Mickey guessed.

"Something like that, but not entirely," the Doctor continued. "It's like if you take a vase on the table and the table is filled with Demning Crisp then it just gooes through the table, and falls on the ground." He gestured with his hand.

"So it's harmless to us," Mickey stated.

"It would be, if we were not in hiding. But now it's one of the most inconvenient aliens we could come across," the Doctor breathed.

"If it can disturb anything consisting atoms and molecules, does that mean it can go through living people too?" Rose asked.

"No," He said quickly. "Life forms can regenerate their cells, either slower or faster, but they can, so that method doesn't work on them. If Invisobolius tries to go trough a living, it crashes into you. Like bumping into someone."

"So we go around and wait till it crashes into us!" Mickey suggested. "It will stop, right? And we capture him."

"It's not that simple," the Doctor breathed as he went to look through the window, then back again looking around the hallway, buzzing his sonic screwdriver. "It could make holes anywhere : tea mugs, tables, chairs, walls, ceilings, floors-" he was cut short by a bleeping signal on the sonic.

"It's near," he whispered.

Everyone stood there, forming a circle, facing all sides. Rose walked a bit further away, when she heard some sound coming from the walls. And then it happened.

The Doctor was busy looking at the readings of his sonic, "Why didn't it leave footprints yet," he wondered, when a gasp made his head spin around.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted out for him, as the floor below her swallowed her in.

The Doctor tried to reach her, but he only managed to graze the floor with his fingers, it already becoming solid wood. He stood up, worry and anger rising up at him.

"Oh my God! Where's she?" Jackie shrieked.

"She is just one floor below, right? You said so." Mickey tried to reason.

The Doctor took a few deep, calming breaths, before he went off, further in the corridor, running, the group following him soon enough.

Frankly speaking the Time Lord was very worried. She could have landed on just about anything - the bed, table, floor; soft ground, solid ground, sharp end... And he didn't even want to think what landing on one's back could mean to a fragile human.

He dashed trough the corridors, the trio just behind him, corner after corner, until he reached the place where he deducted would be the place Rose fell into. He was only a corner away, not even sparing a quick glance to the sides, just going straight to his goal. He could hear a background sound somewhere behind him, but didn't bother to take the words in.

Something about- "Stop him!" Jackie's voice.

And he should have taken into consideration her voice, because moments later a shoe(?) flew to his head, him failing to feel it flying his way, from too much concentration directed towards the door. He stopped abruptly, turning around with a fierce questioning look, when he felt Jack and Mickey(?) drag the Time Lord back to the corner.

"What was that for?" the Doctor asked as he shook off his_ restrains_, taking a few steps back from the group, glancing them suspiciously.

"It's our room!" Jackie exclaimed, leaning to his side.

"What?" the Doctor seemed to be oblivious to the fact.

"Our room. With Pete, Mickey and Rose. We booked it. You said you cannot meet your past selves, or can you now?"

The Doctor blinked at her a few times, then his gaze back towards the door, then again at the group. "Right." He nodded. "I knew that. 'Course I knew that." He shook his hand before them in a dismissing gesture.

"Should I get her out?" Jack suggested.

"You can't. You are not supposed to be here," the Doctor said firmly. "Aaaand, we've got a perfect subject here!" He grabbed Jackie by her shoulders. "You gonna do a bit of undercover work, Jackie. Done that before, nothing new for ya."

* * *

_**to be continued...**_


	29. Pete's World End

**I hope the little bits I have added while editing, done some justice.**

* * *

Maybe it was bad idea to wander off to the side, when everyone else were securely standing in a somewhat a circle. But being jeopardly-friendly as she was, Rose only got that after she found herself slipping through the made hole in the floor and landed in the room below. The room itself would not have been that bad if she wouldn't have landed on her back, which made a suspicious cracking sound. She let out a moan, when pain suddenly hit her.

Strangely enough, she could hear an echo of her voice. Somewhere a bit higher and to her right side. She blinked a few times to get her focus on the ceiling. It didn't reveal much, but after a loose leather hand dropped halfway from the bedframe, she could feel she was in trouble.

The hand was looking awfully similar to that of her own and a sudden rustle on the bed didn't make things any better. Just when the occupant of the bed began extending her legs out of the bed, Rose rolled herself under the bed, hiding behind the covers. Yes, she did roll over, despite her aching back, because with the help of golden light, her back suddenly stopped hurting. She made a note to confront the Doctor about that later as it was really making her nervous. _Her species... Jabe's words, Jack's..._ Was she not human? She felt a shiver down her spine from the thought. Somehow she never thought that much about her species, but when you suddenly are being threatened of being robbed off of it, somehow it scares you.

She didn't have long to dwell on these thoughts, because her Past self, as she deducted, sleep walked towards the door, which was fiercely asking for attention, oblivious to the figure under the bed, who was now peeking from under the covers.

Back in the Pete's World, she hasn't been sleeping at all, since they went on the road in the search of the Doctor's voice. So it just made sense that after her physical and emotional exhaustion her body would try to succumb to sleep. Sadly it didn't work that way. As soon as she would close her eyes, she would find herself in her never ending nightmare of her hand slipping form the lever and when she would open her eyes, she would see the fading image of her Doctor. It went on and on, in the hours she had stayed in that room. A thud on the ground must have only shook her off her sleep, leaving with a fiercely racing heart.

"Rose, sweetheart." Her mother's voice. "Let's go outside, for a cuppa?" She sounded hopeful.

"I really don't feel like taking anything, mum," her Past self replied blankly.

"I know, I know, but it will pass." Her mother drew her in a hug, in which she leaned in without much enthusiasm. Her tears were all dread off, nothing to shed anymore.

"Thanks, mum." Her voice was hallow. "But-" Suddenly Jackie was standing not alone. Mickey Smith, probably his Future self, since he was still looking all nervous of how to handle this situation, interrupted her.

"Come on. Let's go out. You can't sit her all day long. I'll buy you a drink."

"Mickey, I really-" She tried to protest, but was left unheard.

"Leaving. Yeh, you are _really_ leaving," he exclaimed and started dragging her out of the room. She tried to fight him off, but soon found no will to do that and just trailed along him, following him blindly.

When her daughter and Mickey disappeared in the hallway, Jackie rushed to the Doctor's side, informing the group that it was safe to move. The Doctor was, obviously, first to storm into the room, without much of a thought of others.

Rose, the one staying under the bed, did not have the same luxury as others to know what exactly was going on. As soon as the doors closed with her Past self and Mickey together with her mother, she felt only silence echoing in the room. She tried to stir, to get out of her hideout, but suddenly the doors burst open and she had to curl under the bed once again.

She could hear determined steps make their way inside the room. They stilled for a moment, like taking its surroundings and then began steadily moving towards the bed. Rose felt hiccups starting deep in her throat and she had to place a palm around her mouth, suppressing the possible sound.

No later, the steps stopped just at the side of the bed and Rose could have sworn she felt someone squat down. Fingers on the cover peeking out, made Rose shiver and she began thinking of ideas of how she would roll off under the bed, jump the person from behind and knock them unconscious, later ask the Doctor to help her make up some story, but to her surprise or utter relief, the face looking at her with a joyous grin, was none other's than her Doctor's!

"Hello." He beamed at her happily, her looking at him with wide eyes, with her mouth still covered with her palm.

_Hiccup_ greeted him instead of a word and that only made him chuckle.

"No danger detected in the upcoming minutes, Lewis. Safe to come out." As he extended his hand for her to take it.

She blinked some more and released her hand, exhaling a long held breath. With a grin she took his hand and he helped her somehow crawl from under the bed into his arms.

"Uhh," he exhaled in contentment for having her safe and sound by his side. "You alright?" he asked her, when he pulled slightly away to look at her.

"Yeh, I'm." She smiled at him. "About that-" she began, but was interrupted by Jackie's shriek.

"He's here, he's here!" she shouted in a whisper, her body halfway in the room.

"Who is?" the Doctor asked seriously, now stepping away from Rose.

"Pete!" Jackie answered.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Alright," he breathed, looking in the distance. "This is just getting a little bit more difficult," he muttered. "Jackie." Back to facing her. "Keep him out of this zone of the corridor until we all move away."

"How do I do that?" Jackie asked, furrowing her brows.

"Just think of something. Long lost husband, newly found, memories together..." he trailed off. "Baby! You can talk about your little baby boy. Tony, was he? Yeh, talk about him. The Tylers family just keeps on growing by the day," he said somehow with an amusement.

"I-" she tried to protest but got no chance.

"Now off you go. Off off." He urged her out of the room, pushing by her shoulders. "Meet us in room 102. We'll be there in a tick." He smiled at her reassuringly and closed the doors shut before her face.

"She's gonna slap you," Rose said in a half-whisper as she came to stand besides him, leaning one ear to the door.

"Nah. Had a chance and didn't," he said blithely, listening with his ear on the door too.

When they couldn't hear the steps anymore, the Doctor beamed. "Ready to go?"

"Awaiting permission to follow, sarge," Rose said with a salute, grinning moments later. With that, the Doctor grinned himself as he took her hand and they left the room, scanning the corridor of any living threat. When found none, they started running down the halls, grinning like mad.

* * *

"_What do you mean I'm your future self? I have never seen you in my life!_" Mickey's voice could be heard from the room they were supposed to meet at, down in the corridor.

"_And how would you see yourself? And I have not seen myself with myself in the same room either!_" more Mickey's voice.

The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other, locking their gaze, which could only be called _Trouble_.

They dashed towards the doors and with an easy swung of the doors, the Doctor stepped inside, followed by Rose. "Everyone shush!" the Doctor chided them. Rose tried to stifle a laugh, when she took the view ahead of her. Two Mickeys having identical frowning expression on their faces to the point where one trying to twist the muscles in his face, the other would do the same, standing only a few steps away from each other.

"Don't touch yourself!" the Doctor cried and briskly made his way in the middle of the row, pushing them far away from each other.

"And how did you get in here in the first place?!" he asked the Past Mickey.

"She dragged me in!" He pointed at Jackie. The Doctor turned his head at her, looking at her with wide eyes.

"I thought you said it was Pete!" he cried.

"I got confused!" she cried.

"You don't see the difference between your husband and Mickey?" the Doctor asked in disbelief.

"Whose husband?" the Future Mickey asked, looking confused.

"_Mum's_." Rose whispered to Mickey. "_My parallel dad_."

"_You got yourself a parallel dad_?" Mickey asked incredulously.

"I saw legs." Jackie defended herself. "I thought it was Pete's." She looked at the Past Mickey warily.

"Oh, just what we need," the Doctor groaned.

"Mum!" Rose came forward to her. "You can't just bring Mickey in here like that! We are risking a paradox!"

"What was I supposed to do when Mickey spotted me hovering outside the door. Himself here-" She pointed at the Doctor. "Was nowhere to be seen with you together and then that one Mickey-" she pointed at the Future Mickey. "Started arguing with Captain there." She pointed at Jack.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing?" the Doctor asked, looking at him.

"Don't point at me." Jack pulled his hands in defence. "I was just trying to stop _our_ Mickey-" He pointed the word. "From brining Past Rose here."

"_You what_?" the Doctor and Rose asked in unison, looking at the Future Mickey.

"She was sad, alright?" Mickey tried to defend himself. "_You_ were sad," he said, looking at Rose. "I figured if you meet boss you may cheer up. I know, that was stupid. Sorry. I have left her in the restaurant." He ducked his gaze.

That silenced the Time Lord. He was unable to say anything, so he just turned his head towards Rose and mentally calmed down, after seeing her give him a reassuring smile. He turned his gaze away from her. _This was not the time to dwell on self guilt or the fact that he was gonna hurt her again so very soon..._

_A sudden thunder echoing from the outside, through the window, caught everyone's attention. _

"Thunder?" Future Mickey asked unnecessary.

"That's not all there's to that," the Doctor whispered as he stepped near the window to check.

"Is that..." Jack began. "Is that a _hole_ in the sky?" He blinked a few times.

"Universe is starting to collapse," the Doctor whispered faintly, his mouth slightly parted, gritting his teeth.

"How do we fix it?" Rose asked, edging towards him.

"As long as we keep both Mickeys from touching each other or us meeting Pete's Rose or the man himself, the thing which is already holding the paradox should keep us safe. For now at least. The longer both sides stay together, the easier it is to bring Reapers here." the Doctor replied, stepping away from the window with his head still focused on the view outside, before he turned his head.

"Anyway. We can't have you both staying here. Pete's Mickey and Jackie." He approached them in an authoritative voice. "You go back to your own room and_ keep-_" He pointed at them meaningfully. "Keep for Rassilion's sake Rose from meeting us or even knowing anything about us. We need you on our side, so I'm not erasing your memories-"

"You're not messing with my head, mister!" Jackie shrieked.

"I'm not, Jackie!" He raised his voice a bit. "But you've got to keep your mouth shut, no matter what you hear or see in the future, because if you don't." He paused a bit, looking at her intensely. "If you don't, then all of us are gonna be erased from existence, and there won't be any you and me now talking, nor Jack, nor Rose and neither will there be two Mickey's arguing with each other like idiots."

Jackie just gulped at that, and the Doctor eased up his gaze, looking at her dismissively now.

"What about that alien, Invisobolius?" Rose asked softly.

"We've got to catch him. If he makes one more portal to meet Pete or Rose, there will be no way back." As if to make impact on his words, thunder sound echoed in the room.

"Well, how does it look like?" Jackie asked, after getting her breath back.

"What does?" the Doctor asked in bewilderment.

"The thing, the alien. If we're chasing it, at least we should know what to look for."

"You, are not chasing anything. You're going back to your room," the Doctor said firmly.

"But we can help-" Jackie tried to protest.

"Jackie." The Doctor came to stand face to face with her, his hands on her shoulders. "Jackie, look at me. You will be helping us out by keeping everyone from meeting each other. We need you there. If we meet, it's all over. Canary Wharf all over again. Just this time, the v..." He cracked at the name, taking a few breaths before continuing. "The void won't be sucking in the threat, it will swallow _us._" He wanted desperately for her to understand.

"Okay." Jackie began softly. "I'll do what I can."

"Thank you." He told her with a faint smile as he stepped away. "Now move!" he instructed them and both of them left with one last glance at the occupants of the room.

"So, what does it look like?" Rose repeated the question.

"It's like an Earth rabbit, just blue and with long, meter's long tail with fur at the end of it." He gestured with his hands. "But seeing it standing still is like finding a nail in the haystack."

"Rabbit." Mickey began thinking seriously. Then an idea hit him and he went to his bed table.

"Doctor? I think I've found him." Rose's voice echoed in the room.

"What, where?" The Doctor strode to her side, looking around. When he saw nothing, he leaned near her ear, to meet her eye vision.

"That bump." Rose pointed at the corner of the room, under one of the beds. She could somehow feel the Doctor's face lit up.

"Let's catch the little rabbit," he whispered, steadily going near the bed. Just a few steps and he was almost there, when bam, Invisobolius jumped from the Doctor's grasp, when he launched himself on the rabbit and staggered a bit. The rabbit quickly started making circles in the room.

"Don't let it leave!" the Doctor shouted out. "Jack!" he tried to call out for him, but Jack was only standing there, fidling with some device.

"I'm working!" he shot back.

"On _what_!?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

Rose tried to lunge on him, but it slipped away and it was nearing the door now.

"Who left the door open?" the Doctor cried, as he dashed through the door, following the escaped alien. Rose came out next, followed by Mickey and Jack somewhere near.

"It's our only chance!" the Doctor yelled out for them. "Before he changes his speed."

The rabbit was going at a relatively fast speed, but it was more like that of an Earth rabbit's than the alien's. The quartet was running right behind him; the Doctor first, Rose just a few leaps away, when voices of Pete and Jackie echoed in the lobby. As they neared the last corner, separating them and their past selves, they could spot them hovering in the corridor, Invisobolius just a few meters away.

Luckily, Past Mickey turned his head towards them and as he saw the frantically looking Time Lord, running at them and mouthing "duck", he caught on what he had to do. Suddenly the Past Mickey fell on the floor, face-palmed.

"Oh my, God. Mickey!" Jackie shrieked, leaning towards him. Pete tried to bring him up too. At the same moment, when Past Rose leaned in, the rabbit jumped in the air, just barely grazing the back of her head and disappearing in the next corner.

The Doctor and Future Rose hid in the shadows of the corner, as they watched Pete and Past Rose drag seemingly unconscious Mickey towards their room.

Jack and Future Mickey just joined the pair, slightly panting from running, when a thud of the doors being closed, echoed in the corridor. Just a sign for them to resume their tailing of the rabbit.

"Come on." The Doctor urged them as the quartet ran in the direction of it. They found it casually lurking in the middle of lobby, visible to the eye.

"Why did it stop?" Rose asked.

"It smelt something," the Doctor said in a half-whisper.

"Must be this then." Mickey told them casually, taking something out of his pocket.

"What are you holding a carrot for?" the Doctor asked him in bewilderment.

"Well, it's a rabbit," Mickey stated.

"It's no ordinary rabbit; it's not an Earth rabbit!" the Doctor began, but seconds later, the carrot left Mickey's hand and fell on the floor near the rabbit. It sprung its head around, sniffed the vegetable and opened his mouth. With that action, not only his mouth widened but his whole body increased in size. Before them, stood a gigantic alien rabbit, his head nearly reaching the ceiling. Just as he swallowed the carrot, he shrunk back to his original size.

"Eating habits." The Doctor told Mickey casually, holding a palm on Mickey's mouth, preventing the scream.

_Slam._

The sound of the doors being closed could be heard somewhere on the other side of the corridor.

"_I tell you. Mickey would feel way better if we finally leave this bloody place!_" Jackie's voice was clearly angry and could possibly be heard all the way back in England. Good ol' Jackie. She was probably informing the group that they were leaving. Or...she was just being Jackie.

"_We're doing so now, Jacks._" Pete's calmer voice.

The group watched from the corner as Pete's family started walking down the lobby. As if on cue, the rabbit started rushing in the same side as them. The time was ticking away, and the alien was already narrowing the distance between him and his prey. Humans were descending the stairs; the rabbit jumped at full speed, just a corner away.

"It's going to reach them!" Mickey said nervously, while running.

"I know," the Doctor shot back.

"No, it won't!" Rose countered them. "Just hurry!" She speed up more, but was still failing behind enough.

Just when they thought that all was over, Jack sped up before the group and threw something on the floor. Suddenly the rabbit was not running anymore, but held in the middle of air, of some sort of blue beam, emitting out of the object Jack just threw.

"You had it with you all the time?" The Doctor looked at Jack questioningly.

"It had to be charged up. I said I was working on something," Jack replied.

"Good lad," the Doctor replied, beaming at him. Seconds later, he was standing casually near the trapped alien. It tried to get away, running frantically to all sides. All in vain.

"You can stop now." The Doctor told him in a soft voice. "We're not going to hurt you. We'll bring you back home." Invisobolius slowed its speed at the words and now was hovering in the middle of beam, looking at the group with his big eyes.

"Hello there." The Doctor beamed at him.

"It really looks like a rabbit," Mickey stated. "Does it not like carrots?"

"It loves them. You could give him some after we are back in the TARDIS."

"Will it grow in size again?" Mickey asked, concerned.

"Yep," the Doctor said blithely. "Take care of this one, Captain." He told him nonchalantly, standing up, and moments later he disappeared down the stairs, before the group even managed to react.

"Doctor!" Rose tried to call out for him, but he was gone.

* * *

The Doctor stood there, by the window in the hallway, sending Past Rose off with his eyes. He knew how hard it was after losing her, but he somehow hoped that Rose would handle it better. That she would move on, have a fantastic life he once told her to have. It was a pointless thought. Seeing her barely saying any word hurt his both hearts. She radiated life, she was not someone to keep herself in the shadows. And here she was, not caring of the world around. She even missed the bloody Invisobolius running past her head. His Rose, who spots the smallest clues.

And will he do this to her again? No, he couldn't. But... he had to.

His eyes followed the receding car for one more second, taking note to the fact that the hole in the sky was gone now, and stepped away from the window. Hands in his pockets, going through the corridors.

* * *

She found him squatted down, warming his one hand up near the fireplace in one of the side rooms near the hallway, possibly doing that only for fun or distraction rather than cold, another resting on his knee. In a few strokes Rose reached him, and joined him in the _warming up_ process.

"Energy transfer." The Doctor spoke faintly. "If two systems are connected by a pathway for heat transfer, heat flows from the hotter to the colder system. Warm your hands and feet up - your whole body gets heat. The never ending circle for the greater benefit. Good for preventing colds," he ended lightly, looking at the fireplace.

He was obviously rambling to hide something, but she let him.

"Hmm." Rose trailed off. Seconds later she laid down on the floor, her legs pulled up in the air, bended by the knees.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked, amused.

"Warming up my feet," Rose said smartly. The Doctor chuckled. He soon stood up, taking his coat off, throwing it casually on the armchair and joining her near the fireplace.

"It's uncomfortable," he cried.

"It sure is." Rose laughed. "But good for the feet." He chuckled faintly at that.

"You'll get tired," he said softly. "I could probably stay like this for daaays, if we don't take into account an absolutely uncomfortable floor, which is very very hard and uncomfortable-" They both laughed. "But it will tire you down."

"Don't underestimate us humans and our stamina," Rose said.

"Is that a challenge?" the Doctor said slyly.

"No." Rose laughed. "It's not fair if I lose without even having the chance to win," She said and rolled to her side, legs curled up.

"You fancy loosing?" he teased her, when rolling himself, facing her now, his one arm under his head.

"You know I beat you more than once," Rose said in a low voice.

"That was cheating, Rose Tyler," he exclaimed.

"It's not. I'm only using the privileges of travelling through time." She smiled with her tongue between her teeth.

"Repeating your own timeline does not exactly fall under the category of time travelling." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She smiled a bit. They stayed there, only looking at each other, until Rose broke the silence. "What did reset my timeline anyway?" she asked softly.

He kept looking at her for a while and she thought that he may not answer at all, but he did. In a way. "I don't know. Should be able to find out with the working TARDIS."

Suddenly the doors burst open, making the Doctor raise his head a bit upwards and tilt sideways. Rose found herself laying on her stomach, with the support of her elbows.

"Having fun?" Jack asked them, amused by the sight and their complete non embarrassment.

"Not hungry, Jack," Rose said, beaming at him.

"I left you two some chicken if you change your mind," he offered.

"Thanks." Rose grinned at him and didn't notice how she began instinctively waving her legs around. She nearly stretched them out, right into the fire. The Doctor had to extend his left leg, pressing it against her calf to block the movement. But as he done it briskly, nobody suffered any harm.

When she felt his touch, she immediately remembered where her leg nearly fell into and just turned her head to smile at him in gratitude. He only raised an eyebrow at her.

As Jack watched the pair he wondered whether the Doctor had a third eye somewhere on the back of his head or was he simply aware of her every movement. Either way, they were indeed so adorable that he never had to change his statement from the first time he found them cuddled up with each other on his ship.

"Tell you what." The Doctor suddenly stood up, taking his coat back on.

"What?" Rose asked intrigued, standing up slowly herself.

"Let's get some fresh air, shall we?" he suggested casually.

"Okay-" Rose trailed off, feeling a catch being somewhere there.

"Going out?" Jack looked at them with amusement.

"Yep," the Doctor agreed. "Aaand we're taking Vortex Manipulator with us," he spilled.

"Wha-" Jack began, a bit shaken.

"You know the road, right? 'Course you do. Well then, will meet you there! Cheers!" He beamed at him, taking Rose by the waist and pressing the button on the device.

They appeared back in the beach, Rose free of failing as the Doctor kept her steady.

"That was _rude_." She looked at him.

"They know the way," he breathed.

"That's not the point!" Rose half laughed at his oblivious nature.

"What is then?" he asked innocently.

"Never mind." Rose shook her head.

"Well then, Dame Rose. Should we go for a stroll?" He offered her his arm, and as she took it, they went by the shore.

After a while of just walking and listening to the waves, Rose couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Tell me."

"Mm?" the Doctor answered absentmindedly.

"You brought me here because you wanted to tell me something. What was it?" She looked at him softly. He just smiled faintly. _She always knows. _He untangled their hands, placing his back into his pockets, looking at the ground as they stood there face to face, Rose a bit ahead of him, the ocean to her side.

He brought his eyes to her, and she could see guilt and reluctance in them.

"I have to make myself forget, Rose." He spoke in a faint voice.

She was a bit confused, narrowing her eyes. "Forget what?" she asked softly.

"This day. Lock it from my awareness."

"B-but doesn't that mean that you won't remember our original timeline anymore?" Her voice was a bit shaky.

"Yeh," he agreed in a low voice, with a sad smile on his face.

"Wha- But I just got you back! You can't!" Her voice cracked at the end, her eyes pleading.

He smiled at her fondly. "I won't go anywhere. Will just be back to the way I used to be, before this trip. Same old life. Me with a crack." He tried to joke, Rose barely twitched her mouth into a smile.

"But..." She shook her head.

"I can't let myself remember." He told her seriously. "There are events, which are fixed points in time, that should happen and will, but if I keep my memories back, I don't have the confidence to even land us there."

"Krop Tor," Rose whispered, he just nodded faintly. She nodded in understanding, her forehead wrinkled.

"Does that mean..." She tried to form the words, but she faltered. She bit her lip nervously before asking. "Does that mean that Canary Wharf has to happen too?" Her voice was barely audible, only her eyes screaming.

"No," he replied in an instant. "You'll have to wake me up before that."

"But...you just said." She shook her head, eyes watery.

"I won't let it happen. We'll think of something." He tried to reassure her, even if he was not that confident himself, but he wished to believe.

"Together." She smiled at him fondly.

And suddenly his resolve crumbled down. He had this all thought through. He had a plan. Of some sorts. He knew what he _could_ do and what he _shouldn't_. What would not be_ fair_... Considering that he will have to make himself forget so very soon. _But seeing her stand her besides him, desperately trying to be tough for him... He just wanted to make her feel that he was not leaving her. _He turned his head sideways, to look at the surging waves, them moving in a steady rhythm, like in anticipation. They were encouraging him. Just this once, the universe got things right. He found his mouth twitch into a small grin as his gaze went back to meet Rose's. And he just couldn't imagine a more _right_ time than this. If ever, this is where the universe had to let it happen.

He smiled at her tenderly.

Rose was looking at him with slight confusion and wonder, those beautiful hazel eyes looking at him, which he so adored and he couldn't feel more blessed in the world. That he got his second chance.

"Rose Tyler. If this is the last thing I'm going to say to you. Or no," He looked a bit upwards, before locking his gaze to Rose again. "I suppose, if this would be considered my last second chance to say it, before I go." He chuckled warmly at her, and she couldn't help smiling at him. They just had that effect on each other.

For a moment he just stood there, looking at her with his intense gaze. Both of them staring at each other, that being the most natural thing to them, until they felt themselves completely drowned in each other. There may have existed the world, but they saw none.

There was only Rose Tyler and The Doctor. Or not even that. Just two living souls, who fitted together like none other. Together, only then they were living and complete.

When the Doctor finally opened his mouth, the words just flew like a song. Like a prayer, like a vow.

"_Rose Tyler. I'm in love with you... Forever._"

He looked at her with his soul bared before him, with nothing hidden, everything just being open and honest. And she didn't know what her legs where supposed to be doing at that moment, but she found herself running into his embrace. Him meeting her in a kiss as she whispered just before her lips reached his. "_And I love you_."

* * *

_Somewhere back in the inn..._

A knock on the door made the occupants of the room shift and a man came to answer the door. There was nobody outside, but there was not nothing there. Just by the threshold a box in a form of a square casually laid down. On the surface was a note.

"_To Flora_

_From Santa._"

"Flora, it seems Santa Claus visited you," the man exclaimed lively. He felt a bit wary of the box, but figured that it may have been someone from the staff.

The girl held the box in her hands and unwrapped it open. On the top, was a note and below it, laid a beautiful snow globe. And she thought that it was even more beautiful than her original one.

The note said,

_Dear Flora,_

_I've managed to catch the rascal, which caused you sadness. It appears it was none other,  
__but the Easter bunny gone loose from its grandmother. He was so eager to bring you your  
Easter present that it confused the date. I had a talk with him and he is deeply sorry for  
making you lose your previous Snow Globe. Here is the present from the both of us. Now  
that my work is done, I must leave with my loyal dwarves on my blue sled. Have the best  
Christmas in the universe._

_Santa_

* * *

**_to be continued..._**

**I cut off the scene with the Doctor, not exploring it much on purpose. Just wanted to get the feeling more than be explicit of what was going on. But I'm planing on having some of the scenes brought like memories in the next adventure. _There will be some more explanations there._**

**Anyway, reviews are more than welcome, like really, don't be shy. I tend to feel insecure after each chapter I post, so hearing something from you really boosts my energy. You may express your any thoughts, be it criticism, thoughts, questions. **

**Thank you for your support!**


	30. Idiot's Lantern

**_Information :_ the last two chapters of Pete's World, which were originally one, have been edited. I think there shouldn't be that much confusion there now.**

* * *

_She has been chasing him... That timorous beastie has been chasing him for the past hour and there seemed to be no way out of it._

The Doctor peeked his head out of his hideout in the kitchen, which was named as that in the last five minutes he had been staying here. For a moment the corridor was empty. He almost exhaled in relief, until it appeared...

The beast locked their gaze to the Time Lord and showed their teeth in delight to have found their prey.

"Gel!" the voice cried out.

"Oh, not again," the Doctor groaned, paced about in place and after a few skips, resumed his dashing through the infinite hallways of the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" The voice was nearing. Just a bit longer and he would be doomed.

"I'm telling you," he shouted back, his head turned, facing behind himself. "I like it as it is!"

"I just want to feel it!" An innocent voice. Heh, like hell it was innocent.

The Doctor quickened his pace. He had to get away, if he wanted to keep it safe.

"Don't run!" Desperate call, filled with amusement.

"Then don't chase me!" he shot back. He ran further inside, until he saw the dead end not that far ahead of him. Dead end? Since when the TARDIS had a dead end? "Hide me!" the Doctor pleaded his ship. The ship only gave him an amused hum.

"I can't believe it! You teamed up with her!" he narrowed his eyes in disbelief and after he saw that his path had ended, stopped right into his tracks. Before long, one pink and yellow human, reached him, just a few meters away.

"There kitty kitty," she sang. The Doctor was still facing the wall. He had been caught. No. He just couldn't accept it. But he was cornered. With no way out, since _someone_ refused to give him a hand, or _space_ for that matter. Alright, he just had to play his way out of it. With great reluctance he turned around to see a cheeky grin on her face.

"Rose Tyler," he said her name solemnly. "I'm telling you. This Time Lord brain of mine, needs my hair. And you're not allowed to mess with it." He pointed at her. "I have spent two hours readjusting them. Now you want to just ruin it?"

When he thought that he saw her understanding face, he began his rambling. "You see, I used this Transportant Shiny Glue Gel, which I have found in the black market of the planet Baldania. Everyone there is bald, can you believe it?" he cried, beaming at her nervously. Rose just crocked her head to her sides, considering his story. "But from time to time there would be born a child with hair. And it's bad. Very bad. It's actually considered treason there, because they seek the shine of their heads. They believe if your head shines in the sun, you are nearer the God." He waved his hand dismissively. "So they invented those Transportant Shiny Glue Gels, where your hair gets glued together and shines in the sun!" He beamed at her. "Isn't that brilliant? Although." His face shadowed. "It got banned in no time too, so in the end only black market has them now."

"Hmm..." she hummed. "What's with the Transportant?"

"Oh, it's for hiding it. A click with your fingers and it appears at your hand. It's actually glued to your DNA. Very convenient. If I must say. Especially if you want to hide it from the curious eyes." He nodded approvingly, and with a snap of his fingers a bottle appeared in his one hand. "See? Isn't that genius?" He shook it to the sides, teasingly.

"Mm-hm!" Rose nodded with enthusiasm, her teeth showing from the corners of her lips, forming a grin. When their eyes met, Rose beamed at the nervous Time Lord. "Gel!" she exclaimed and lunged at him. _'Guess, she didn't buy it._ The Doctor somehow managed to evade her, but was now once again back to the running.

"Let it go. Let it go. Just let it go!" he whined, while running, forwards and sometimes backwards to face her.

"Never," she said, beaming at him. The Doctor just widened his eyes while taking a breath and continued his run.

Somehow the ship was becoming less and less helpful and the Time Lord was robbed off of any possible rooms as a hideout and now they were back in the open, in the console room. Both standing across each other, grabbing the console, with their eyes locked. It reminded him of all those times before the adventure, but this time, he was protecting something. There was no way he could join Rose Tyler now!

"Jack! Tell her!" the Doctor tried to find his shelter on Captain's side, who was casually sitting on the jump seat. "She must have hit her head too much from the crash!" the Doctor cried. Jack just laughed out loud at them.

According to the TARDIS official events, they have just recovered from the crash land on Earth. Thus making everyone fall unconscious, leaving even the Doctor with a buzzing head. They really had a bumpy ride, as they hopped to February the 1st of 2006 - that's where the only breach was, as the one at Bad Wolf Bay had been closed by the Image Doctor. And then they _purposely_ crashed on Earth, making up this charade story. And the only two, aware of the truth behind the parallel world, were Jack and Rose. Mickey Smith got his memories locked down as a punishment for asking too many questions of _"How can it be my past/future self if neither of us were aware of each other?" _And now he was back on Earth, as he told them, got a sudden urge to seek independence. Rose wondered whether the Doctor didn't plant that idea in his head to get rid of him...

"Ever since you woke up, you got all weird!" the Doctor accused Rose, pointing at her, like a child.

"I've not got _weird_." She laughed. Well, it may have been a bit hard to restrain herself from launching herself right at him, considering that she was happy beyond belief to have finally heard the end of that sentence! The Doctor had actually finished his sentence! It still felt like a dream to her, and sometimes she would almost believe it was all only a dream, but funny as it was, Jack was not shy to show her one of his meaningful looks that he saw their... little gesture at the beach.

"You did! Well, you're always weird. But this time it's more weird than just normal weird. It's weird of weirdness of Weirdtownia! You became all giddy and all," he cried. Oh. She really felt an urge to tease him.

The Doctor, being _useful as sometimes he can be,_ told her nothing about the source of her time reset.

Something about...if he were to suspect her again and would seek the answer in his brain, he better find none. If his brain had no answer to her time resetting, then he would not know either. Better be safe. And how he found it strange that somehow she was aware of her original timeline, being all human and all. Wasn't she also wondering that? Sigh. She was left once again without the information she needed.

The least she was allowed to do was... play a little game. Right?

"I'm so_ not_ amused," she said in a low voice. The Doctor had to suppress the quivering mouth of his.

"There there! It's like some inner joke is going on here!" he cried, playing his part of being serious.

"Not _remotely_ amused," she said, with a sly smile on her face, when she was edging towards him.

The Doctor snorted at that. And Rose found herself grinning. "I just want to feel your super Transpa-something gel," she said softly, while edging towards him, extending her hand.

"Transportant Shiny Glue Gel. And don't come closer!" He was backing away, with his hands put in defence towards her, when he composed himself. "Back off. Back off." He tried to sound serious.

"Are you seriously telling _me_ to back off from you?" she asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, well. The world is full of surprises," he exclaimed blithely. It was unlikely for him to refuse her something. Very unlikely in fact... He could very well give in, and let her mess with his hair. Of course he could, if she would try to show him one of her faces...Yeh, like those down... No no no, she was starting! If he watches for too long, he will be gone. That _cannot_ happen.

Still holding his gaze intensely to Rose's puppy-eyes look, he found himself shouting. "ELVIS!"

That startled Rose, as she blinked and it also nearly made Jack fall off the chair.

"Wh-what?" she blinked.

"Let's go see Elvis, shall we? 1950s! The time before they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist. And the hair!" he exclaimed, gesturing to his head, manically. "The hair. It suits the era perfectly." When she tried to talk. "And don't try to put your hands on it. I would be thrown out with bed hair."

"I love your bed hair," she said lovingly.

"That's not the point." He dismissed her, then stopped. "You do?" He beamed at her, but when he saw her getting closer, he stopped himself. "Elvis!" he exclaimed again. "Great fellah, great music, just what we need!" He stood near the console to press some buttons.

"So we're going to see Elvis," Rose stated with amusement.

"Yes we are! So go on. Fetch some clothes, put something to suit the fashion and off we go! With a style!" He bounced at the console some more, and with the last fling of a hand, turn-jumped to face her all beaming.

Rose laughed at his ridiculousness. "You're not getting away from this." She told him, pointing at him teasingly and slowly backing away.

"Did for now," he sang, beaming. He followed her with his eyes, leaning on the console with his hands, as she disappeared in the corridors. He widened his eyes, sighing a relief.

"_Now._ Finally a break to _take._" He trailed off. "How about you, big fellah? Fancy a trip to Elvis?" he offered Jack, looking at him. Well, actually, he was planning this trip, having in mind it only being the two of them, but as Jack somehow stayed... It was not like he did not like his company...Just sometimes... It was _nice_, just being the two of them. The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS. Did he seriously start thinking like that? What happened to the more the merrier? Sigh. Somehow his conciousness began to literally drown in Reinette's words. His soul. _Rose in his soul._ No no, better not go so deep now. He shook his head fiercely.

"Big Fellow?" Jack interrupted the Time Lord's inner conversation, looking at him expectedly.

"Mm? Oh. Oh! Right, that's from the Sycorax leader. The big spaceship above London this Christmas. Their leader just came out and roared at me what I was doing there. Funny big species." He chuckled at the memory, while flipping some switches.

"With Rosie?" Jack asked casually.

"Oh yeh. She even left me with her mother to go climbing the trees herself! Imagine that! Oh, I still didn't forget that. And nooow she wants to mess with my hair! My _big_ hair!" he cried.

"So, to protect your hair you decided to drop her at Elvis?" Captain asked, amused.

"Well..." The Doctor circled his tongue inside his mouth, in concentration. "Can't let her have the luxury now, can I?"

"Luxury for what?" Rose's voice echoed in the console room.

"Oh, nothing nothing," the Doctor muttered, facing the console. "Finally done?"

"Says someone who has been adjusting his hair for the past two hours," she muttered under her breath, but knew that he would catch on.

"It's different! It's alien product. Not some stupid primitive Earth... gel... soup..." He trailed off, as he took in her appearance - polka dot pink dress with a blue jacket. Rose grinned at his reaction.

"Oh, Rosie! You look gorgeous!" Jack came towards her to hug her. "Were did we get so lucky to have such a beautiful woman onboard." He beamed at her. Rose chuckled at him.

"So are you, Jack." She beamed at him. "It's a bit strange seeing you without your coat though."

"Do you mean...?" Jack looked at her meaningfully.

"Handsome, yeh, yeh, you're very _handsome_." She laughed.

"I knew you had good eyes!" Jack said enthusiastically and stepped back from her, facing the Doctor now, who was looking at the scene with an unhappy expression on his face. He soon hid it under his nonchalant mask though.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Well then...If we're all set off..." He pressed the last button and started walking towards Rose. When he was inches from her, he spun her around and walked her towards the door by her shoulders.

"Um...Doctor?" she tried softly.

"Take a look what's outside!" he exclaimed blithely and pushed her out the doors.

Rose staggered a bit as she was in her heels. She sprung around to face the retreating Doctor. "What's with the spinning?" she asked incredulously.

"Spinning is good!" he exclaimed blithely; his head peeked out the doorway. "Maybe it will get your head readjusted. Think about it. Good for a change. Now wait a sec," he said casually and disappeared inside the TARDIS again.

Rose just stood there dumbfounded. "Someone definitely hit their head hard," she muttered and readjusted her clothes, pacing about outside the TARDIS. She narrowed her eyes at the ship. _That's a first. Never have been thrown out the TARDIS before._

To her amusement, the sound of an engine echoed from the inside of the TARDIS and second later, the Doctor rode out on a blue late-50's moped! Rose shook her head, grinning. The Doctor stopped just a few meters away from the ship - big sunglasses and a white helmet on his head.

"You goin' my way, doll?" Pulling Elvis-style expression and voice.

"Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?" She played along, putting on a pair of pink sunglasses - in an American accent. "Straight from the fridge, man!" She teased and walked towards the moped, laughing.

_"_Hey, you speak the lingo!" the Doctor sang in a delighted, high pitched voice. He tossed her a pink version of his helmet and she caught it, putting it on, moments later.

"Yeh well...me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday," she said while sitting behind him on the moped. The Doctor just pulled an _I knew it_ face.

"Ah," he exhaled. "Cliff! I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan."

Rose laughed at him. "That she is. But... What's with the chucking me out of the TARDIS back then?" she asked, pulling a serious voice. The Doctor turned around to face her. "That was rude, ya know?" She looked at him meaningfully.

"Was it?" he asked casually. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, grinning at her. Rose just rolled her eyes.

"Now then!" he exclaimed and made some engine sound.

"Doctor," Rose said between laughter.

"Mm?" he turned to look at her.

"There's still Jack out there." She pointed casually at Captain, who was casually leaning on the TARDIS. The Doctor sprung his head to face Jack.

"Oh. Right." It sounded like he just remembered him.

"'Guess it's time for my stroll, then." Jack pushed himself back from the TARDIS.

"Jack..." Rose looked at him a bit unsure.

"No place for me, Rosie." Jack just beamed at her.

"Yep, no place," the Doctor added casually.

"Well, then I'm not going." Rose started to get off the vehicle.

"No no no. Stay there." The Doctor somehow managed to put Rose back on the seat. He looked at Jack and sighed. "Oh, well." With visible reluctance he pulled his sonic screwdriver out and bleeped it at the empty space on the side of the moped. In a flash, a spare seat appeared, supported by another wheel.

"Oh, it had this?" Rose looked at it in astonishment.

"Yeh, well, perception filter. I prefer to only use two wheels." The Doctor grimaced at the seat like it was poison.

"You got some tricks, hidden up your sleeves, Doc. This is amazing." Jack quickly jumped in the spare seat, playing _Mister Oblivious_ to the Doctor's huff.

Soon enough, the Time Lord pressed the pedal and they were off on the road. Jack watched their backs in amusement - Rose's hands curled up around the Doctor's waist as they drove. He could hear the Doctor's voice from the parallel world.

_"And Jack...don't play with me. My self with a crack already has ridiculous thoughts about your friendship with Rose."_

_"Is your self suspecting that something is going on between us?" Jack asked in amusement._

_"Don't even start._"

Thinking back, how could Jack not play with the Time Lord. If he says not to, he wants to do it even more. Jack let himself being driven away, with a smirk on his face.

* * *

"So, what's the destination?" Jack asked from behind them.

"Ed Sullivan TV Studios, Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows, there were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it," the Doctor said through the engine sound.

"TV studios in, what... New York?" Rose teased him.

"That's the one!" the Doctor exclaimed happily.

After a red London bus drove past the end of the street, the Doctor stopped. A red post box and Union flag bunting hanging from rooftop to rooftop. The Doctor looked all bemused.

"Dinging that New York vibe!" Rose laughed it off.

"Weeell... " The Doctor trailed off. "This COULD still be New York, I mean this looks very New York to me." He looked around. "Sort of... Londony New York, mind.." He just couldn't accept another failure in his driving.

"You know it's impressive how much we try to go somewhere and always end up elsewhere," Rose teased.

"Oi! We did go to Ian Dury concert as we planned!" he cried.

"Yep, only to be thrown back to the TARDIS afterwards," Rose chuckled.

"Guys, I think we've arrived at the right time," Jack interrupted them. "All those flags tell me we're up for a celebration!"

"Yeh? At least someone agrees with me," the Doctor said blithely.

"Good for you," Rose laughed.

They drove some more, until they parked in the neighbourhood. Down in the road, they spotted a man, Magpie, throwing open the doors to his van. Two errand boys took out a television and carried it into a house. The house owner was looking on.

"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion," Magpie exclaimed.

The Doctor, Rose and Jack walked past and stopped, after hearing the man.

"The great occasion? What d'you mean?" the Doctor asked nonchalantly, picking on his ear.

"Where've you been living, out in the Colonies?" Magpie glanced him suspiciously. "Coronation, of course." He said, closing the doors of his van. Rose looked at the man a bit uncomfortably.

"What Coronation's that, then?" the Doctor asked.

"What d'you mean?" Magpie stopped to look at the Doctor with a bemused expression. "THE Coronation," he just said.

"Oh, nice." Jack grinned.

The Doctor looked at the man with a blank expression, turning to Rose for help.

"The Queen's," Rose said softly.

Still nothing.

"Queen Elizabeth!" she exclaimed, hinting.

Then it clicked him. "Oh! Oh, is this 1953?!" the Doctor asked the man all happy.

"Last time I looked," Magpie said, walking casually towards them. "Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best."

Rose didn't notice how she backed away from the man in reflex, her expression guarded. Magpie seemed to feel a bit lost, so he turned his gaze away from her.

"Look at all the TV aerials..." Rose said while looking around at chimneys. "It's like everyone's got one. That's weird, my nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house," she said in a hinted voice.

"Not round here, love. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a box."

"Oh? So you practically give them away. 'Wonder why would a business man do _that_," she said in a stern voice, her gaze locked to Magpie.

"It's my patriotic duty." The man paced about a bit uncomfortably. "Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud!"

"I'm sure you are very very proud of yourself," Rose said in a low voice.

"Uuum-" the Doctor inhaled. "Thank you, Mr. Magpie! Such lovely tellies." He then leaned his head towards Rose. "What's this all about?" he whispered.

"He's weird and suspicious," Rose said in a firm voice.

"Uh huh. As long as not as weird as you are - nothing to worry about," he sang blithely. Rose gave him a dangerous look. The Doctor just angled his head to the sides, in amusement.

_A sudden woman's shouts distract them._

"Someone help me, please! Ted!"

A man with a blanket over his head was being bundled into a black police car by two suited men. The Doctor and Rose, followed by Jack ran over to them.

"Leave him alone, it's my husband!" the woman pleaded.

"What's going on?" the Doctor asked, concerned.

The blanketed man was pushed into the back seat, as Tommy ran out of his house. "Oi, what are you doing?!"

"Police business, now get out of the way, sir!" D.I Bishop told them.

"Who was that?" Jack asked.

"Must be Mr Gallagher..." Tommy said, looking inside the car.

Just as fast, the car started driving off, leaving Mrs Gallagher in despair.

"It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters..." Tommy said carefully.

"Tommy! Not one word!" Eddie shouted at Tommy, as soon as he stormed out of the house.

Rose gave the man a warning look, but he was oblivious to that and just dragged Tommy inside.

Not wasting any more seconds, the Doctor put on his sunglasses again and ran over to the moped, kicking it into life.

"All aboard!" he exclaimed, when Rose was sitting in her place behind the Doctor and Jack already jumped in his spare seat.

The trio came round the corner on the moped, following the black car, just to stop short of the market stall.

"Lost 'em! How'd they get away from us?" he wondered.

"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving, have you actually PASSED your test?!" she joked. The Doctor was not listening, or pretending very well not to listen. He was good at not listening, when he didn't feel it convenient for him.

"Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia."

Rose looked around the place. She was not sure where did the Doctor found them the previous time as she stayed behind at the second chase.

"They got some amazing teamwork," Jack said, nodding approvingly.

"Meaning what?' the Doctor asked, a bit confused.

"What would you do if you were left without the TARDIS and you had to hide?" Jack asked.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "I would ask Rose to cover up for me, I suppose..."

"Exactly," Jack exclaimed, beaming at them both.

"Ooooh." Rose seemed to get it. The Doctor looked at her questioningly. She then pointed her head towards the gate. When the Doctor sprung around to watch the workers, his face lit up.

"Oh. Oh. Very good. Very very good, indeed!" The Doctor beamed at the sight.

"Infiltration process?" Rose suggested, grinning.

"Right on schedule. Let's get back here after sunset."

"And in meantime?" Jack asked casually.

"Monsters, that boy said..." Rose said with a deeper meaning. The Doctor turned to face her. "Maybe we should go and ask the neighbours," she suggested.

"That's what I like about you. The domestic approach," the Doctor said sweetly.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" she asked, concerned.

"Depends what you want to hear," the Doctor said.

"Well, not an insult would be nice," Rose said.

"Well then."

"But did you mean it as an insult?" She tried again, but the Doctor only kicked the moped back into life and they were off.

* * *

_The door bell rang._

Eddie opened the door to the Doctor, Rose and Jack, who are wearing identical cheesy grins.

"Hiiiiii!" the trio sang in an adorable chorus.

"Who are you, then?" Eddie asked, regarding them suspiciously.

"Let's see then," The Doctor glanced the man over, Rose looking amused, Jack expectedly. "Judging by the look of you - family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war-" he muttered to himself. "Therefore, I represent Queen and country!" he spilled, holding up the psychic paper with a flourish.

"Just doing a little check of Her Majesty's forthcoming subjects for the great day," he spilled in one of his nine hundred per hour speed, making the man at the door all confused and slow on the uptake. "Don't mind if I come in? Nah, didn't think you did, thank you!" the Doctor barged inside at those words, followed by Rose.

Jack was last and didn't lose a chance. "Captain Jack Harkness. Nice to meet you!" He shook the man's limp hand enthusiastically and soon went inside after the pair himself.

"Not bad, very nice! Very well kept! I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs... ?" the Doctor leaned in towards the woman.

"Connolly," she said timidly.

"Captain Jack Harkness, Mrs. Connolly. You're in good hands," he whispered to her, winking. The Doctor gave him a look.

"Now then Rita, I can handle this." Eddie stood there all forced-gallant and all. "This gentleman's a proper representative!" he couldn't suppress his eagerness. Rose just perched herself on the arm of a chair.

"Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit," Eddie said.

"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more," the Doctor said, leaving both Tommy and Eddie shocked.

"I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty," the Doctor continued, unfazed. He made a side glance towards the flags around the room, waiting to be put up.

"Nice flags. Why are they not flying?" he asked in one of those _inspector's_ voices.

"There we are Rita, I told you - get them up, Queen and country!" Eddie said, after a brief uncomfortable pause.

"I'm sorry-" Rita said, but was shushed by the Doctor, who looked at the man sceptically, and began to move over to Eddie.

"Get it done! Do it now." Eddie talking.

"Hold on a minute-" the Doctor tried, but Eddie talked over him.

"Like the gentleman says -" Eddie tried but this time, the Doctor shushed him.

"Hold on a minute. You've got_ hands_, Mr Connolly. Two big hands!" He glanced at his hands. "Why is that your wife's job?" He asked seriously. Rose watched the scene with full attention, Jack leaning casually on the wall.

"It's housework, innit?" Eddie asked, a bit confused.

"And that's a woman's job?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Course it is!" Eddie laughed.

"Mr Connolly, what_ gender_ is the Queen?" the Doctor asked, pointing the last words.

"She's a female," Eddie shuttered.

"And are you suggesting the _Queen_ does the housework?" the Doctor said in a half whisper, daring him to say it.

After a few uncomfortable seconds, Eddie spoke again. "No! Not at all!" he defended himself.

"Then get busy." The Doctor just casually handed Eddie a string of flags, giving him an insistent stare.

"Right, yes sir." Eddie set about hanging the flags, feigning enthusiasm. Nobody in the room seemed to be fooled.

"You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right and centre!"

Rose suddenly rose from her chair, hands on hips, as the Doctor slowly paced back across the room.

"'Scuse me, Mr Connolly, hang on a minute! Union Jacks?" she asked with a business smile.

"Yes, that's right, isn't it?" Eddie paused in his work momentary to look at her.

"That's the Union Flag." She pointed her head at it like it was the obvious. "It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea," she scolded him.

"Oh... oh, I'm sorry, I do apologise!" Eddie tried to humble himself. The Doctor glanced from her to Eddie.

"Well, don't get it wrong again," Rose said, smiling widely. "There's a good man. Now GET TO IT!" With a force in her voice to make some impact.

When the man went back to work, Rose gave the Doctor a coy smile. Even he looked slightly bewildered! Jack only felt pride for her, as he took his place at the armchair.

"Right then!" the Doctor exclaimed as he sat on the sofa. "Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" With Rose right next to him.

"_Union Flag?_" the Doctor sang quietly to Rose, with grin still on his face.

"Mum went out with a sailor," Rose said breathlessly, beaming at him.

"Oohohohoo! I bet she did!" he sang. "Anyway," Now lauder, speaking to the room. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose and you've already met Jack there." He pointed to Jack casually, who saluted.

To his utter disbelief, Captain Jack Harkness would have never thought there would be a time when he would feel like a third wheel, but today, more than any other day, that seemed to be the case. There was obviously nobody who could come between the Doctor and Rose-

"And you are?" The Doctor glanced at the boy.

"Tommy," the boy said.

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy," the Doctor said warmly.

_"With exception of helping people,"_ Jack noted as he saw the pair shift aside, making a space for Tommy to sit in between.

Truly, if the Doctor from the parallel universe wouldn't have personally asked Jack to stay, he would have already left by now. Somewhere along his absence, the pair managed to get used to only being the two of them and see nobody else. With Mickey it was... understandable, but Captain was not used to it.

"Did you say you were a doctor?" Rita asked the Doctor, somewhat reluctantly. She was already sitting on the chair, close to the trio on the sofa.

"Yes I am."

"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?" Rita pleaded with her eyes.

Eddie overhearing this last part of the conversation, interrupted.

"Now then Rita, I don't think the gentleman needs to know-"

"No, the gentleman does!" the Doctor cut him off.

"Better listen to him. This one is influential." Jack winked Eddie meaningfully, pointing at the Doctor.

Not being able to hold it in anymore, Rita started crying, and Rose moved forward on her seat to address her.

"We'll help. Don't worry." She soothed the woman, wrapping a comforting arm around her. The Doctor watched them with a concerned frown.

"Hold on a minute! Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!" Eddie looked down at the flags in his hands, chucking them down. The Doctor proped his head on his forearm and balled fist, appearing calm but giving the distinct impression that he's restraining himself.

"What the- what the hell am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor! You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!"

"All the people are being bundled into-" the Doctor said scathingly.

"I am talking!" Eddie shouted.

"And_ I _am not LISTENING!" the Doctor raised his voice even louder than Eddie's and was literally spitting in his face, as he loomed over him. "Now you, Mr Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark _PIT_ of trouble if you don't let me help!" Eddie only blinked flabbergasted. "So I'm ordering you - SIR! - to tell me what's going on!"

Jack could only be glad that he was not on the receiving end of the Oncoming Storm. Sadly, this Doctor seemed to not take him as well as the parallel Doctor. One wrong movie on Rosie, and he felt like he would be thrown out in the Vortex. When he turned his head, facing Rose, he was taken aback by Rose's complete non affect by the Doctor's outburst.

Once again Captain was questioning his place in there. He had to keep reminding himself...

_"Everything is changing. Events play out way differently than those from our original timeline. Timelines and Time itself are spinning around in one big messy yarn ball, and no one knows which end will appear next. You were never there with us, Jack. And I don't know how things will turn out there...I might not even survive it, we barely did it the last time as it is. I could be lost, and Rose would be all alone... Keep her safe, Captain. She's all I have. And I trust her with you, if I'm not there."_

The sound of something banging could be heard from upstairs. Everyone's eyes rolled upwards, listening.

"She won't stop," Eddie said with a degree of fear.

The banging continued, even louder.

"She never stops," Eddie said.

"We started hearing stories," Tommy started, taking attention of the Doctor. "All round the place. People who've... changed. Families keeping it secret 'cause they were scared. The police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just... turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night."

"Show me," the Doctor said.

* * *

The group appeared in a dark room, only the figure of Tommy's gran, lurking near the window could be seen.

"Gran? It's Tommy." As he opened the door wider, allowing the Doctor and the others behind to come inside the darkened room.

"'S all right Gran, I've brought help." With that Tommy stepped a little further inside the room, turning on the light. A faceless elderly woman stood in the middle of the room. Rose grimaced at the sight. She remembered Tommy's gran, she was a kind woman. Now seeing her without her face again was shocking. _How she must have appeared herself to the Doctor..._

"How did_ that _happen?" Jack exclaimed, taking in the sight. The Doctor simply stared with a furrowed brow. He then took a few steps further, closing the distance between the gran and himself.

"Her face is completely gone," he said with an air of fascination.

"Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown, she's ticking over, like her brain has been... wiped clean." He was talking while scanning the face with his sonic.

They were interrupted by the crash of the policemen entering the house.

"We've got company..." Rose said urgently.

"It's them, they've come for her!" Rita breathed with horror filled eyes.

"What was she doing before this happened?" the Doctor said hurriedly. "Where was she?"

Rita hesitated, not being able to think of a place and the policemen burst out inside the room.

"Hold on a minute!" the Doctor pulled his hands up in defence, trying to buy some time. "There are three important, brilliant-" He was holding a finger. "And complicated reasons why you should listen to me." He inhaled. "One-" But was shut off by the burly man's punch in the Doctor's face, leaving the Time Lord unconscious on the ground.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled.

"Big mistake, round man," Jack exclaimed, pointing a weapon at the men.

"Jack, they're policemen," Rose half-whispered, while kneeling near the Doctor, slapping his cheeks to wake him up.

"Good thing I'm not the local boy then," Jack said cheesily.

"What is that thing in your hand? Do you even have the licence for that?" One of the policemen furrowed their brows.

"Certainly didn't ask you for one. Now back off!" Jack ordered the men as they tried to get near the gran.

"What, what... this is outrageous!" Eddie exclaimed. "Since when people representing the Queen has the permission to carry guns?"

"The Queen's representatives?" the policeman asked. "This bunch seems to have more than one crime in their files."

"Surely not as bad as hiding faceless people in the police headquarters," Rose said in a low voice.

"Uh," the Doctor's voice from below took everyone's attention.

"Doctor! You awake?" Rose asked him. He suddenly sat up, taking his surroundings.

"Ah, hell of a right hook! Have to watch out for that! One kind of a welcome. That was rude! And they say I'm rude..." He stood up, facing the men. He then spotted them frozen to the spot, looking warily behind him. He turned around.

"Jack, what's with the gun?!" the Doctor cried in disbelief.

"They knocked you out," Jack said defensively.

"I'm touched," the Doctor said humorously.

"Who are you people?" the policeman demanded.

"Weeel, it's a long story, if you want to hear it...?" The Doctor looked at the men meaningfully.

"You're the one in charge here?" the policeman asked.

"That I'm," the Doctor said in an authoritative voice.

"You're coming with us then," the policeman said, turning around to walk away. The Doctor made his way for the door.

"Doctor." Rose tugged on his arm.

"It's alright, I'm just using the front door for the infiltration." He grinned at her. "You two keep an eye on things here." He gestured for them and went off.

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**I tried to play out the Doctor differently from the one we saw in the last few chapters. After all, they had different stories. I hope I did well.**

**Well, how was this one? ^^**


	31. Idiot's Lantern Continuation

**Hope you're having a great day, folks! Now then. Time for my chapter, eh? ^^ Cheers.**

* * *

_"You two! Get the hell out of my house!" Eddie shouted at them both._

_"Why such temper, Mr. Conolly? You won't get the ladies that way, if you know what I mean..." Jack winked at the man._

_"Jack..." Rose whispered a warning._

_"Wha..." Eddie stammered, looking uncomfortable. "What a disgrace!" he snapped. "Get out!"_

_"We're going, we're done!" Rose said, walking towards the door of the living room, where the whole Conolly family stood. "Nice to meet you Tommy, Mrs Connolly." She smiled softly at them. "And as for you, Mr. Conolly." She came to stand face to face with him, her head held high. "Only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside-down. Shame on you!" She grinned cheerfully and took Jack, running out of the house._

And that's how they have been chucked out of the Conolly's house.

"So, judging by the facts we have gathered up until now; we got faceless people, unknown cause, presumably jailed Time Lord, nasty policemen, Mr. Conolly's house with the man, who obviously is a big prick, his lovely wife and brave young man Tommy and the great Coronation just a day ahead." Jack calculated. "Using the basic friendship rule, _help friend in need,_ we better bail him out first and then decide of any further plans."

When he saw Rose chuckling, he grinned at her. "Oh, I know I'm pretty handsome, but no need to laugh at that. Rosie."

"Nah, it's just...you still got that..." She gestured. "Bossy, vibe in you."

"Bossy vibe by the 21st century's slang. Is it good or bad?" he asked.

"Good for you I guess." She laughed. "Mind you, when you're with the Doctor you get no chance."

"A man got to feel he's in charge with his woman near," Jack said teasingly.

"I'm not his woman, Jack-"

"Oh, really? My eyesight must have gotten bad in a hundred years. I could have sworn I saw Rose Tyler and the Doctor snogging each other senseless on some windy beach in Norway. Or did I dream that up?" He looked like he was seriously considering it.

"I'm not talking about that with you." She pointed at him, smiling, with a bit of shade of pink on her cheeks. "'sides, this one said nothing of that sort to me. It doesn't really even count." She moved to relax her shoulders' muscles.

"So you would want him to?" He winked.

"Mmm, maybe," she said slyly and both of the chuckled. "Anyway." She clearly her throat, smiling. "That plan of yours? You go ahead, I'll stay here. Look around, check for clues. That sorta job."

"I think he would find it cute, if you went to bail him out with your cheeks boiling red," Jack said seriously, seeing her escape plan.

"Oh my God. Jack, stop it." She put her face in her hands, laughing.

"Seriously, what I'll do with you two. You're like teenagers!"

"Maybe we're," Rose said seriously, her hands down. There was a pause, then she began faintly. "It's just... all that...secrecy thing... He's him, but he's not." She furrowed her brows. "It's like...there's two versions of him-"

"You were with him before regeneration too, Rosie."

"I know, I know, but it's not..._like_ the regeneration. It's different. He knows the different me. _We_'re different. And sometimes...it just feels... _wrong_." She shook her head. "Oh, that man's so bloody complicated." She laughed.

"Then make it the same," Jack suggested, his gaze serious.

"What do you mean?" She narrowed her eyes. "I can't tell him, not yet. He told me, he told you too about it-"

"I know. It's not about that. Maybe you just need to show him what he's to you. I mean, it's pretty fun and everything to tease him, but- Jack laughed.

"You did _not_ just say that. He would kill you, if he heard," she sang.

"Yeh, and he could do it literally, then would revive me again and strike once more." Jack shuddered a bit.

Rose laughed, but calmed down after a moment. "He wouldn't. He may threaten you, but he would never do that...He cares for you," she said softly.

"He's the most brilliant man I've ever met. And he's got you, Rosie. Just this one seems not know it yet."

"So what do I do?" she asked faintly.

"Just be yourself and all will be fine," Jack kissed her forehead, Rose smiling softly. "See you, then. He's going to get mad at me again for letting you wander off, but guess it's you being you." They both grinned at each other, Rose stepping backwards and waving to him.

"Bring him back unscratched," she shouted out, smiling. "Take this with you, you might need it." She threw the psychic paper in his hands.

"You had this?" Jack asked in wonder.

"The Doctor gave me just before he went out."

Jack chuckled. "Won't make the man wait for much longer then. See you soon." He saluted and went off running.

* * *

She wanted to get away from everything for a moment. Maybe that's why she chosen to drift away from the_ "rescue mission"_. It was a quite night in the 50's London. Calming breeze blowing in the wind. Just what she needed. Some peace before the big day. Before the face-eating-Coronation took place in England's history.

_There really were a lot of odd creatures out there. _

Odd... _Ood. _She swallowed at the thought.

When she woke up after a made-up crash on Earth and met his eyes, she saw that _he_ was gone. That her time of pretending resumed. She hated doing that. Truth be told - a lot. But she could never blame the Doctor for choosing that. He would have never done that by his own will. But there really was no other choice there. They had to preserve the timelines.

Always something to save.

Always something coming before them.

_You get used to that in a long run._

She smiled sadly, while walking down the streets. And if her ache in the heart was anything to say... she could only imagine what it was for him.

She was supposed to be strong, but the mere thought of her being there alone..._Impossible planet..._ No, she couldn't think like that. He trusted her to look after them both. And she was not_ alone_ alone. The Doctor was there. Would be there. _She really hoped he would. _He would just be... _someone who didn't experience that yet. _And she would be_ someone who did._

She exhaled a long shuttering breath, pulling her arms around herself.

A movement in the corner of her eyes, caught her attention. Rose titled her head to the side just to find two men dragging a person, covered with a blanket.

"Them again," she muttered and dashed towards them.

"Oi!" she called out for them. "Leave him alone!"

After spotting her closing the distance to them, the men quickened their pace and shortly after, disappeared in the corner.

Rose couldn't just leave them. What they done to people. Took them out of their homes, treated them like recyclable stuff... If anything, their families had the right to keep their family members. With or without their faces.

She ran towards the corner where she saw the men vanish to. After a few leaps she reached the place, but to her surprise, found nothing there. The alley there looked even darker than the one she came from, but there seemed to be nothing living there.

_Did they hid the body somewhere?_

She took a few wary steps further. "Hello?" she called out. _Might as well come clean about her being here._

"Look, I know you're here! So stop mucking about!" she called out.

_Still nothing._ Only a gentle breeze scattered her bangs.

"Well, that's weird," she exhaled, her hands on her hips, looking to the sides. "I could have sworn I saw them going here..." She circled her tongue inside her mouth.

Just then, she felt a presence behind her. She took a sideway glance and saw a shadow lurking about.

"Done hiding then, I suppose," she said, smiling and turned around.

The smile was short lived, though. She gasped, taking a step back at what she saw.

"Good evening, miss."

* * *

"Aaaah!" the Doctor sang in delight, when he spotted Jack coming near his cell. "There's my rescue team! Took your time, I must say. I was almost getting settled down in here." He bounced his extended legs. "A bit dark though. Don't like dark that much." He grimaced. "Oh, well. Time to say goodbye to this place, gang," he said blithely and stood up from the bench, beaming.

"Although." He glanced behind Jack casually. "You seem to be one short?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. Jack gave him a meaningful look, while unlocking the cell and letting the Time Lord out.

"Oh oh! One wandered off!" the Doctor exclaimed, then his face twisted to _I knew it._ "I knew she would do that. Never stays long in one place," he muttered. "A bit like me. Clever and learns fast. Maybe not always the things she should, but..." He considered. "Blimey, too much like me. Although, I have a time machine to wander off with, she got only her feet. Humans and their way of travelling." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"She's investigating," Jack said.

"Good!" the Doctor smiled. "She may find us a clue. Well, she usually does. Brilliant she is. I would really do no good without her. Good thing that I wont't be..." His face suddenly shadowed. "_Without her..._" he said faintly, swallowing the words.

_Being without her... _A thought sharper than any knife or blade.

Jack watched him in silence. The Doctor's face muscles clenched as a piercing pain ran down his both hearts. Then just as suddenly, the Time Lord put his nonchalant mask on. "Right then!" He clasped his hands together. "Let's head out. Can't do worse than her. I still got Time Lord imagine to preserve." He saluted to Jack, grinning, as he went off.

* * *

"You...what're you doing here?" Rose asked the man in front of her.

"I knew this would happen..." the man said in an exhausted voice. "I knew I would be found out one day."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "What're you talking about?"

"But I can't let others find out. Or she won't let me live the day," he said painfully, looking at her with sad eyes. Then he made a nodding gesture towards the men and they started closing the distance between them and Rose. She tried to back away, but they soon found their way at her, grabbing her by her forearms.

She tried to struggle. "What're you doing?! Let me go! Magpie!" she shouted at him.

"I just want some peace," he said remorsefully. That being the last scene she saw as a rough palm with a cloth on her face send her unconscious.

Not entirely sure after how many minutes or hours, she finally came to. What she instantly felt was the restrains, tightly wrapped around her skin, stifling her movements. Her hands were both tied down behind her back, her legs on one of the chair's legs. She tried to move, but it was all in vain.

_They went all out for this, it seemed._

It didn't take long for her to take in her surroundings. Ironically she was being kept at Magpie's shop, right in front of the tellies behind the counter. The man himself was fidgeting nervously on his feet.

Rose snorted. "What a great proud man of the country. Not only he helps take the faces of all those people, but now even resorts to kidnapping. Oh, how_ lucky_ of us to have you!" she said sarcastically.

Magpie looked up at her. "You couldn't possibly understand... what...it's like, with her..." he stammered.

"Believe me, I know a great deal about her," she muttered.

Then in a flash, one of the screens blinked up and the woman appeared. "Yooohooo! Oh, what a little girl we have here. Such a shame for being so unintelligent and going through other people's business."

"Comes from the living Wire, posing as a woman of the telly," she bit a snort.

The Wire's face twisted at once. "Who're you?" Her eyes wide.

"Guess you'll never know," Rose sang, her gaze firm on the telly.

"Magpie! Who's she?" the woman asked sharply.

"I-I don't know. I barely saw her one time while delivering tellies. She was with some other two men..."

"_WHO_ are they?" the Wire asked.

"I don't know..." Magpie's voice weak.

"Find them and bring them to me!" she ordered, then turned her gaze on Rose. "And you, little girl." She smiled. "Will settle my HUNGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER," she sang, her mouth opening.

Rose shifted in the seat uncomfortably. She was really not keen on getting her face chopped off, but there seemed to be no way out of it. She took one last glance at the doors, extending her fingers, which only proved her once again that physical strength won't take her out of this one.

_"And Rose... don't get your face taken."_

The Doctor's words, echoing in her mind. She failed to keep her promise. She closed her eyes, muttering, "I'm sorry."

When a sudden wave hit her face, that stretching feeling of one's skin, the feeling of being separated from your own body started, her voice broke out on its own.

"DOCTOR!"

* * *

_**Int. Bishop's office**_

The first thing the Doctor was greeted by when he entered the office, surely was not what he expected when getting _arrested_. As soon as his legs made inside the room, one of the men, approached him with a nervous smile on his face.

"It's so good to see you here, Sir," he said with a smile.

"Is it?" the Doctor asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

The man seemed a bit lost for a moment, but caught on, when Jack cleared his throat, glaring at the man.

"Please excuse my manners, sir. We've just never thought to have an opportunity to me one of you."

"Oh?" the Doctor nodded blithely, pressing his lips together. "And that would be-?" He urged him on.

"Welcome to our little headquarters, Special undercover agents of the Secret Organisation." The man beamed at them.

The Doctor only blinked, his face blank. "Wh-who?"

Jack poked him. "That's us," he whispered.

"Are we now?" the Doctor exclaimed. "Oh. Right." He considered. "I didn't ask how I got out."

"We're terribly sorry for our misunderstanding. We were just not...expecting you."

"Well..." The Doctor took a breath. "The thing is, Detective Inspector Bishop-"

"Have you heard of me?" the man asked expectedly.

"Huh?" The Doctor blinked.

"You knew my name." He beamed at them. _Certainly if he was known among the special forces, it must have meant a pro-_

"It's...written inside your collar?" the Doctor said apologetically.

Bishop looked slightly embarrassed and adjusted his collar.

"What can we do to help you, Special undercover agent of the Secret organisation? If you came just before the Coronation, the information must have exceeded to the headquarters."

"No. Don't do that," the Doctor said, grimacing.

"Sorry?"

"Don't say that grandiose name, it just gives me the creeps. Just call me the Doctor," he said and walked over the table.

"The Doctor? As a code name?" Bishop seemed impressed.

The Doctor titled his head to the side in amusement. "You could say that."

"You can just call me Captain Jack Harkness," Jack extended his hand to greet Bishop.

"My loyal _colleague,_" the Doctor exhaled, pointing with his mouth the last word. The Doctor gave one wary look at the round guy, who stood just besides Bishop, but appeared unmoving as a statue, as the Time Lord squeezed past him.

"Ain't you that big guy who punched our agent?" Jack intervened, giving a meaningful look at him.

"Sincere apologies!" the round man exclaimed in a soldier pose.

"Oh, nothing to worry about. Just gotta be on a lookout around you some more," the Doctor muttered, glancing him over, then cleared his throat.

"Please excuse us for our incompetence," Bishop said, rubbing on his forehead.

The Doctor just nodded blithely. "Right right." He dismissed them with a hand, taking a seat on the chair, his legs on the table, looking through the papers. "Is this everything you've got?" He asked in an authoritative voice.

"We keep records. Yes."

"But you're not doing much of an investigation work yourself, are you, Detective Inspector Bishop?" the Doctor glanced from the papers.

"I'm sorry. If we disappointed you-"

"Nah, not me. After aaall, they send me for the _job_." He pointed with his mouth. "But what about you? Don't you want to get out and investigate?" he sang. "No such itch?" The Doctor looked at him expectedly.

"Of...course I have," Bishop exhaled. "But with the Coronation right at the corner..." he said helplessly. "And this is way beyond anything we've ever seen. We don't even know where to start."

"Well... You can start from the beginning," the Doctor said, peeking out from the held papers. "Tell me all you know."

* * *

"We started finding them about a month ago. Persons left sans visage." Bishop walked over the wall, where pictures of various faceless people were glued at. "Heads just... blank."

"Is there any sort of pattern?" the Doctor asked casually, standing up and looking through the pictures.

"Yes, spreading out from North London," Bishop breathed. The Doctor turned to examine a file on the desk. "All over the City. Men, women, kids... grannies..." Bishop continued. "The only REAL lead is there's been quite a large number in-"

"Florizel Street." The Doctor read.

A sudden knock at the door took everyone's attention. Everyone in the room looked up.

"Found another one, sir," policeman announced.

A figure, two men in room were expecting in the least to see, stood in the middle of Bishop's office. A figure wearing a familiar pink voluminous skirt with matching pink shoes...

Jack gasped. _This was not her... right? She after all, knew things... This was not her..._

"Oh, er - good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor..."

The moment his Time Lord's brain recognised the skirt, the Doctor walked from the table, dropping any piece of papers he had had in his hands, not caring about them messily scattering on the floor. His whole body moved towards the figure in a trance, fingers numb.

No. He couldn't believe it was her. He didn't _want_ to believe it could be her. There must be some kind of mistake. Or... a similar person-

And then, the policeman took the blanket off. The Doctor's eyes widen with horror, his hearts skipping a painful beat, as he approached her.

"Rose," he breathed, his voice barely a whisper. _What have they done to you?_

"Do you know her?" Bishop asked.

"Know her? She-" he said breathlessly. His voice was unsteady, as his words caught themselves in his throat. His hearts were beating frantically in his chest. And his ears shut down all the unimportant background sounds.

_Know her?_ Was there words to describe what she was to him? And would the man even understand half of it, if he were to tell him? How could some stranger human possibly understand what she was to him? There were no words to describe her, much less English. He wouldn't be alive without her, for Rassillion's sake! In body and soul. And now they... they ripped her off her whole essence. Rose. Her heart-warming smile, those beautiful hazel eyes - they were just gone! Gone. Nothing... left. She... she wasn't even breathing, hell there was no air to breath or mouth to eat. There was just plain nothing!

_"What the hell happened! You better tell me, because I'm not exactly a friendly type when it comes to certain things." Jack was shouting at the men. "Who did this?"_

_"We don't know ourselves. __They found her in the street, apparently, over at Master Square, abandoned."_

_"That's unusual, that's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day, we'll have Torchwood on our back, make no mistake," D.I Bishop said._

Something very dangerous snapped inside the Time Lord, when he heard those words.

"They did _what_?" he said coldly, interrupting the men with Jack together, who was on the verge of choking a nasty swear at them.

"I'm sorry?" D.I. Bishop asked.

"They left her_ where_?" the Doctor said in a forced-calm voice, gritting his teeth. The voice was anything but calm and Captain would have probably shivered himself, if his own fury wouldn't be helping him close those thoughts off.

"Just... in the street," the man answered, a bit stammering.

"In the street," the Doctor said quietly, his eyebrows rising from anger and suppressed urge to force the words into the poor man's mouth. "They left her in the street." His voice was rising, and the suppressed Oncoming Storm was breaking through. "They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street." He took a shuddering breath. "And as a result, that makes things..." he breathed in a low voice. "Simple. Very, very simple," he said pressing his lips together, his intense gaze fixed on Rose's clean-face.

"Do you know why?" the Doctor asked the man, finally tearing his gaze away from Rose's face, and taking his glasses off, turning to the two men.

"No..." Bishops said a bit warily.

"Because NOW!" the Doctor shouted furiously. "Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this_ EARTH_ that can stop me!" he said in a voice full of anger, which left no doubt that nobody wanted to cross this man at this time. "Come on!" he called for them, going for the door without hesitation.

_Someone did this to her._ Whatever had interested him of this whole situation before, now put a whole new level to it. Things just got very very personal. And the Oncoming Storm was out on the surface.

* * *

The Doctor, Jack and Bishop burst out of the gates into the dawn sunlight.

"The big day dawns..." Bishop announced.

The Doctor did not reply. He moved on immediately.

"Better not get on his nerves now, Detective Bishop. Be a wise man. Nothing can stop him now."

"What has stopped him till now then?"

"Rose," Jack breathed. "And now, he doesn't have to feel the responsibility to do this the human way. I may not be in the best of moods myself now, but nothing compared to the Oncoming Storm."

"Is this another code name, Oncoming Storm?" Bishop asked.

"Something you don't want to learn about directly."

* * *

_**Outside the Conolly's house**_

Tommy opened the door and found the Doctor standing there with Bishop and Jack.

"Tommy, talk to me," the Doctor said in a low voice.

"I need to know exactly what happened inside your house," he continued as Tommy stepped outside the door, closing it behind him.

Suddenly Eddie pulled the door open violently and rounded on Tommy.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing?" he spat in Tommy's face, roughly.

"I wanna help, dad," Tommy simply said.

"Mr Connolly..." the Doctor said warningly. _One more word from that man..._

"Shut your face, you," Eddie spoke into the Doctor's face. "Whoever you are.

"You don't wanna know who I really am," the Doctor said in a low Time Lord's voice, glaring at the man from above. He could barely see a human man in front of him. Whatever he was, he was only a hindrance, and obstacle to go past to.

Eddie titled his head backwards a bit. "We can handle this ourselves. And I thought you were supposed to be in prison." He glanced the Doctor over.

"Let the man talk," Bishop intervened. "He's of High authority. You don't wanna bring this upon yourself, and neither do I."

"What, what the blazes?" Eddie frowned at Bishop.

"What can I do, Doctor?" Tommy said.

Eddie sprung around at him. "Listen you, little twerp," he said in a cold whisper. "You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a _position_ to maintain," he shook his body from the words.

The group only watched silently, but as Jack took in the Doctor's clenched white fists, he knew that the man better shut his mouth soon.

"People round here respect me. It MATTERS what people THINK!" Eddie talked fiercely.

"Is that why you did it, dad?" Tommy asked.

"What d'you mean? Did what?" Eddie leaned back, taken aback.

"You ratted on gran. How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them..."

"How DARE you?" Eddie said in a raging voice. "You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?"

"You don't get it, do you? You fought AGAINST fascism, remember? People telling you how to live - who you could be friends with - who you could fall in love with - who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could DO what we want. SAY what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even gran. All to protect your precious reputation!"

"Eddie... is that true?" Rita came to join them, as she heard them talking.

"I did it for US, Rita!" Eddie defended himself. "She was FILTHY." He jumped at the words. "A FILTHY, DISGUSTING THING!" Spitting.

"She's my mother," Rita said quietly, shocked. "All the others - you informed on all the people in our street - our friends."

"I had to." He flailed slightly, looking around for understanding. "I did the right thing...!"

"The right thing for us... or for you, Eddie?" Rita said heartbroken. "You go, Tommy." She turned to her son. "You go with the Doctor and do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, _all right_, but it weren't my mother!" Close to tears she went back inside, slamming the door on Eddie's face.

"Rita?" Eddie called out for her, concerned.

"Tommy." The Doctor extended his hand, urging the boy to come with him.

* * *

The streets were busy as people were preparing for a street party. The Doctor, Jack Tommy and Bishop walking along.

"Tommy, tell me about that night," the Doctor said impatiently. "The night she changed."

"She was just watching the telly," Tommy said.

"Rose said it," Jack blurted out.

"She guessed it straight away," the Doctor continued, looking up at the TV aerials. "Of COURSE she did. All these aerials in one little street - how come?" he asked Tommy.

"Bloke up the road, Mr Magpie, he's selling them cheap."

Tommy was still talking, when the Doctor started running down the street, towards the shop, Jack following close behind.

"Is he, now?" Bishop asked casually.

"COME ON!" the Doctor yelled back, his voice ringing through the whole street. That was enough to bring the two out of their chit-chat.

When they were just a few meters away from the shop, they saw that the place was closed and Jack was already taking out his blazer to blast the doors open, but got no chance, as the Doctor smashed the glass in Magpie's door with his own bare hand in order to gain entry to the shop.

Bishop still tried to chastise him. "Here, you can't do that, even if you are of Special forces-"

"Better shut up," Jack warned him, but the Doctor ignored them anyway, as he stormed his way in the room.

"SHOP?" he yelled. Then he took a few long strides towards the counter and started pressing the bell on the top repeatedly with mad energy. He shouted to the back of the shop.

"If you're here, come out and talk to me! MAGPIEEE!?" He was bursting with furiosity.

"Maybe he's not here," Tommy said.

"Looks like it..." He walked over the counter, rifling through the drawers behind the counter. In one of them, he found the device that looked like a cross between a portable radio and TV.

"Oh, hello... this isn't right. This is very much not right." He was inspecting it in his hands.

Much to the surprise of Tommy and Bishop, he licked it.

"Tastes like iron. Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride," he said looking at the device.

"Or Bakelite," Jack added. The Doctor obviously couldn't bother to explain what he said. "One of the first plastics made from synthetic components," Jack said to the two blank faces, who watched the Time Lord.

"Put together with human hands, yes." The Doctor put it down on the counter. "But the design itself..."

He scaned it with his sonic screwdriver. "Oh, beautiful work." _He admired it, even with the grave situation at hand and that could only mean one thing_, Jack noted. "That is so simple," the Doctor said in disbelief.

_Yeh, they were moving forward._

"That's incredible. It's like a television, but portable. A portable television!" Bishop talked.

The Doctor then raised his sonic screwdriver, pointing it around the room - the televisions turning on to static.

"It's not the only power source in this room..." he whispered.

As the screwdriver whirred, the static gradually faded away and on each screen appeared a different face - the faces of the people who were taken by the Wire. They all looked terrified, mouthing pleas for help. The Doctor looked around at them, brow furrowed. Tommy noticed his gran's face in one.

"Gran?"

"Doctor," Jack called. The Time Lord skipped a beat, turning around to see Captain looking at one of the screens with furrowed brows. His legs took their way towards the telly and he could identify her face clearer by each step.

_Rose._ The Doctor's hearts leaped out, when he saw her mouthing 'Doctor, Doctor' over and over again. He kneeled before the screen, looking both sad and intense.

"I'm on my way," he breathed, wanting for her to hear him more than anything.

"What do you think you're doing?! I'll call the police!" Magpie's voice could be heard, as Jack dragged him out of the back of the shop.

"We _are_ police and so much more," Jack countered him.

When the Doctor spotted the man, his face at once switched to a thunderous one. "I want my friend restored!" he said, rounding on the man. "And I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician so tell me, who's really IN CHARGE HERE!?" He made Magpie flinch from his outburst, praying to be anywhere but near this fury.

"Yoohoo! I think that must be me," the Wire appeared on one of the screens. The Doctor turned to her, surprised.

"Ooh, this one's smart as paint," the Wire continued, as the Doctor approached her or it.

"Is she talking to us?" Bishop asked.

"Sorry gentlemen, I'm... I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves," Magpie stammered. "May I introduce you to my new... friend."

"Jolly nice to meet you." The Wire smiled at the group.

"Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly," Bishop announced, realising.

"No, it's just using her image," the Doctor said.

"What... what are you?" Tommy asked.

"I'm the Wire," it announced happily. "And I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me." The screen gradually colourized at those words.

"Good Lord - colour television!" Bishop exclaimed with eyes popped out.

"So your own people tried to stop you?" the Doctor asked.

"They executed me. But I escaped - in this form - and fled across the stars," she said with a smirk.

"And now you're trapped in the television," the Doctor said mockingly. The smirk faded from the Wire's face, and with it, the colour from the television.

"Is this what got my gran?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it gorges itself like a great overfed _pig,_" he spat in disgust. "Taking people's faces, their essences, it stuffs itself."

"And this mouse man, let her do it," Jack said coldly. "Tell me when to shoot." He pointed the blaster at his head.

"Pl-please don't. I had to! She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation."

The Doctor glanced at Jack. "We're not shooting people, Jack," he warned him.

"I thought some things changed," Jack breathed disappointed, pulling the weapon away.

"They don't. He's just an idiot man, who couldn't know or feel better for his own people." He looked at Magpie in disgust.

"What does that mean? Releasing her at the time of manifestation?" Tommy asked.

"The appointed time - my crowning glory," the Wire said, hinting, taking everyone's attention.

"Doctor - the coronation!" Bishop exclaimed.

"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set," he said. Then his face turned to a gloating one, as he approached her. "But you're not strong enough yet, are you?" He asked, trying her. "You can't do it all from here." His face close to the screen. "That's why you need this!" He shook the device teasingly, backing away.

"You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

"What a clever thing you are! But why fret about it? why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me - you'll be _glued_ to the screen." She smiled meaningfully to them and the next moment lines of red sparking light suddenly pulled all four faces into the Wire's TV - the Doctor, Jack, Tommy and the Inspector.

"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!" The Wire was enjoying her meal.

However, the impact was not strong enough for the Doctor to become stiff and he with effort, but slowly pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

The Wire's face suddenly twitched, noticing. "Armed!" she said in surprise. "He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!" She severed the connection between herself and them, and all four fell to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

The Doctor woke up just to see Jack with the Inspector with no face.

"Tommy, wake up!" He shook the boy. "TOMMY!" he shouted out. "Come on!"

"What happened?" Tommy breathed.

"Where's Magpie?" the Doctor breathed anxiously, standing up.

They both ran outside the shop and saw no sight of the man. Magpie was gone.

"We don't even know where to start looking - it's too late," Tommy said, defeated.

"It's never too late," the Doctor countered him. "As a wise person once said - Kylie I think... But the Wire's got a big plan... so it'll need..." He paced anxiously around in circles, his hands on his hips, thinking. "Yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the population... millions and millions of people... and where are we?" he asked.

"Muswell Hill," Tommy answered simply.

"Muswell Hill - Muswell Hill!" the Doctor exclaimed, running a few meters further. "Which means..." He looked around until he spotted a large building on the horizon, gesturing at it with both hands.

"Alexandra Palace! Biggest TV transmitter in North London! Ohh!" He bended his knees slightly. "That's why they chose this place!" He turned around to get back to the shop. "Tommy?" he called out for him, loudly.

"What are you going to do?"

"We're going shopping," the Doctor answered half-humorously and opened the doors.

* * *

Tommy and the Doctor were gathering equipment. Tommy holding up a device.

"Is this what you want?"

The Doctor suddenly sprang on his feet from another corner of the room. "Perfect!" he exclaimed, putting the thing on the top of others, which were gathered in their time there. "Right, I need one more thing," he said, giving the whole set of equipment to Tommy.

Then suddenly, a sound of something clanging on the floor echoed in the room. The Doctor turned to face Tommy, who was trembling slightly.

"Tommy! Keep it steady." The Doctor picked up the thing, which rolled on the floor and placed it back. "What's it?" he asked the boy impatiently.

"What's he doing?" Tommy pointed his head towards the floor. The Doctor tilted his head just to find a disturbing sight of a certain Captain's face in the...regrowing process. He had his mouth back, but obviously, not speaking yet. Still lacking the whole other set of his face features.

"Don't look at it," the Doctor said in a low but gentler now voice and turned away to search for the last thing he needed.

Tommy and the Doctor ran out on the streets, both loaded with equipment.

"Got it, let's go."

Tommy and the Doctor were running down a street, the Doctor plugging a device into Tommy's huge equipment bank that he was carrying, with its one end in his mouth. After a few corners, Tommy spotted Magpie on the pylon and pointed at him.

"There!"

"Come on!" The Doctor urged him.

"Woah, Woah, woah! Where do you think-" An official tried to stop them, but the Doctor just flashed his psychic paper in the man's face, not stopping his run.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"

"They're saving me a seat," the Doctor called back, already a few leaps ahead.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked, as they rounded a corner.

"King of Belgium, apparently," the Doctor said casually, after he checked on his paper.

* * *

_**Int. Alexandra Palace, control room**_

The Doctor was dashing around, gathering the equipment he needed, Tommy in front of a video machine and television screen.

"Keep it switched on. Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?" the Doctor called out for him, as he was backing away out of the room.

Tommy just nodded.

* * *

The Doctor sprinted back around the corner, past the confused official, trailing a stream of magnetic recording tape behind him from a reel around his waist. He ran up the metal stairs and began climbing up the transmitter, following Magpie.

"You'll get yourself killed up there! Your Majesty!" official called out for him, but was left completely ignored.

_He had no time to spare. He had to get her back._

He spotted as Magpie reached the mains plug.

"Feed me!" The Wire was demanding. The Doctor was still quite a bit behind, climbing with determination.

Magpie then plugged his TV in to the main current and the Wire laughed triumphantly. Across the country, TV aerials drew in the sparks emitted from the pylon and people watching the TV were being pulled in by the red electricity.

"Oh! Feast! Feast... ing! The Wire... is feasting," it sighed in contentment.

"It's too late! It's too late for all of us!" Magpie shouted out, devastated.

"I shall consume you... Doctor," the Wire said evilly and the Doctor was blasted in the face with red light, making him cry out and nearly loosing his balance on the transmitter.

"I won't let you do this, Magpie!" he shouted, when he regained his firm position.

"Help me Doctor! It burns! It took my face - my soul!"

"You cannot stop the Wire. Soon I shall become manifest." She smiled and blasted yet another beam at the Time Lord.

"No more of this! You promised me peace!" Magpie pleaded.

"And peace you shall have," she said, blowing him into thousands of particles with the red light. The Wire laughed as his screams echoed in the alley, until he dead. The Doctor tried to touch the portable TV but is zapped by red sparks on his hand.

He shook his hand. "Been burning the candle at both ends? You've overextended yourself missus." He mocked her. "You shouldn't have had a crack at poor old Magpie there," he said, picking up the TV, only to be zapped in the foot.

He cried out again, but regained his grip on the device. _There was no way he was stopping now. _"Rubber souls! Swear by them!" He shook his head madly at the device, as he inserted a switch into the TV, but to his utter shock, nothing happened to the Wire.

"Oh dear!" she said mockingly. "Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?" The Wire started laughing as the Doctor only stared, horrified._ This couldn't be it._

His fears were short-lived, when the beams started retreating back into the Wire's portable television. Her face twisted at once. She was crying out in agony, wailing with pain. The Doctor started grinning.

"It's closed down, I'm afraid - and no epilogue," he said half-humorously, watching her intensely.

With one last piecing shriek from the Wire, transforming that into one of the dead program, the television switched off. The Doctor stared at it for a moment, getting his breath back.

* * *

"What have I missed?" the Doctor asked casually, leaning on the frame of the door of the control room.

"Doctor!" Tommy jumped, facing the Doctor. "What happened? The device broken down, it went flying with blazes. He tried to help... but he got too much electricity in him," he said in a wary voice.

"Who did?" the Doctor asked cautiously, edging towards the boy. Tommy titled his head on the floor.

The Doctor leapt towards the fallen body, checking the pulse. "Good lad," he breathed in pride at Jack. "Wakey wakey!" He slapped his cheeks and after a while, Jack woke up with a gasp.

"Blimey!" Tommy breathed. "I thought he was dead!"

"Nah, he's just sort of...playing tricks on all of us." The Doctor laughed a bit.

"Can't say I enjoy this type of game." Jack rubbed his forehead. "Is it gone at least?"

"Yep. All sorted. I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the Wire in here." He stood up, walking towards the device, indicating the video. "I just invented the home video 30 years earlier." He tossed it in his hand playfully, showing it to Tommy. "Betamax." He grimaced.

Jack laughed out loud. The Doctor smiled back at him. "Good to have you, Captain," he said warmly.

"Anytime, Doc." He saluted. "I think you have more important things to attend to now, though," Jack said meaningfully.

The Doctor seemed a bit confused at first, but after receiving Captain's smirk, he only grinned and dashed out the doors.

* * *

The Doctor was first to return to their street, followed by Tommy and Jack just a bit behind. There were loads of people milling around and meeting loved ones.

"Gran!" Tommy ran to her, after spotting the elderly woman.

The Doctor smiled at the exchanged hug, but continued with his long urgent steps, scanning the crowds for one person. And there she was! Chatting up with someone, a man or a woman, he did not know, as he was only seeing _her_. Rose. She turned around just about the same time he spotted her, a wide smile spreading across her face, which the Doctor returned, quickening his pace towards her.

He was only a portion away from running towards her. She laughed, just so happy to see him again and he threw his arms around her, lifting her right off the ground in a huge hug. She clung to him, grinning widely and burying her face in his shoulder. And he was grinning all the same, not knowing any better and more right thing in the universe than having her with him.

* * *

The folks were celebrating the big day. Out on the street, 50's music was playing, people were out on the street dancing and talking. Trestle tables lining the centre of the road covered in pastries, cakes, drinks, etc. The Doctor and Rose leisurely walked down the street.

"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd," she suggested casually.

"Nah." He grabbed a victoria sponge from the table. "That's just pomp and circumstance. This is history right here." He laughed happily, eating his snack.

"The domestic approach," Rose said seriously.

"Exactly," he agreed and they both laughed.

"Is it trapped for good - on video?" she asked.

"Hope so," the Doctor answered blithely, not really caring all that much. All he cared about was walking right besides him. Aaannd... let's think about it some other time. "Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans temporal extirpation methods to neutralise the residual electronic pattern," he spilled, trying to cover up his other thoughts with some science terms.

Rose nodded at him. "You what?" she asked.

"I'm going to tape over it," he translated, leaning to her side.

She laughed. "Just leave it to me, I'm always doing that."

"Having good time, buds?" An American voice from behind their backs, startled them.

"Jack," she laughed. "What have you been up to?" she grinned at him.

"Fetched a drink for a lady, for one," he smiled meaningfully at her and handed one of his glasses to her. She laughed.

"Thank you."

The Doctor leaned to his side. "Buds? Really?" he asked incredulously. "After the whole Special undercover agents of the Secret Organisation you really want to go down that road?"

"Wha-what organisation?" she nearly chocked on her drink, licking her lips, placing the glass on the table.

"I know, ridiculous. That man has one of a imagination. Imagine him living in the 21st century!" he exclaimed. "He would go completely mad with all the James Bonds, Detective shows and movies. Silly man." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Hey, bud." Jack suddenly approached Tommy, who was near the table.

"Hey." He smiled at him.

"Look, he approves of bud." Jack pointed at him and laughed as the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Good taste. Keep that in mind when you go pick someone up."

"JACK!" Rose and the Doctor chided him.

"I'm just saying." He defended himself.

"It's never only saying with you." The Doctor gave him a meaningful look. "Tell you what Tommy." The Doctor leaned against the table. "You can have the scooter. Little present. Best... um... keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?"

Behind them, Eddie walked down the street with his suitcase.

"Good riddance," Tommy said, looking over the Doctor's shoulder. The group turned to face the man.

"Is that it then, Tommy?" the Doctor asked seriously. "New monarch, new age, new world - no room for a man like Eddie Connelly."

"That's right. He deserves it." Tommy nodded. The Doctor just nodded, not buying it though.

"Tommy." Rose nudged his shoulder. "Go after him," she said softly.

"What for?" Tommy asked.

"He's your dad," she said gently.

"He's an idiot," Tommy said sadly.

"'Course he is. Like I said, he's your dad," she said like it was obvious. The Doctor looking at her with interest. "But you're clever. Clever enough to stand up to save the world so don't stop there," she said. The Doctor could only watch her in pride and admiration.

_What would he do without her? He wanted to never experience that. _

"Go on!" She smiled, giving him another nudge. Convinced, Tommy finally ran to join his dad. The group saw them walk side by side and Tommy taking his dad's bag for him. They continued down the street together. The Doctor, Jack and Rose watched them fondly from a distance.

The Doctor then straightened up and took two glasses of orange juice. Handing one to Rose he smiled at her and she back at him in gratitude. They chunk their glasses together with Jack, smiling.

"Tell you what," Rose said, after taking a sip.

"Mm?" The Doctor looked at her, intrigued.

"Let's join them." She tilted her head to the side, at the dancing couples. The Doctor raising an eyebrow at her.

"Come on." She put hers and his glasses on the table and took his hand, dragging him towards the music.

"Jack?" the Doctor called out.

"I'll just go scan the crowd." He winked at them. "You enjoy." He waved at them and disappeared in the crowd.

"He'll be fine. Don't worry." She chuckled at his concerned reaction.

"I bet more than fine," he breathed, raising his eyebrows. They both laughed at that.

* * *

_**to be continued... in Idiot's Lantern Aftermath. Chapter-sort-of.**_

**So, my dear readers. I hope you enjoyed this one. Brush me a comment if you can ^^**


	32. Idiot's Lantern Aftermath

**Hello. Well, this is like an extra chapter. Like one of those scenes after credits. **

* * *

They danced, they laughed and even sang along some music, being played on the day and nooow, they were finally back to their home - TARDIS.

Everything took place in the kitchen. Rose and the Doctor the only ones present. Jack was somewhere out and about, maybe taking a hint to give them some space. Jack. He really saved their heads today. _And_ faces, for that matter. He couldn't be more grateful than today to have him with them. Even if sometimes his presence seemed to be a hindrance but_ that_ was only because!

Besides, Rose liked his company. He could tolerate him. It was not like he really disliked him, just... _What was going on between him and her?_ He wanted an answer to that... What was about him, seriously?_ The immortality?_ Blah, well, he was not immortal, but his lifespan was nothing to worry about._ His handsomeness?_ Pff, he was not bad himself, if he must say so. Right? She did approve of him! Well, Cassandra may have hinted something... but either way!

_Sexy aaand foxy._

So what else? His flirtatious nature? Um...was he seriously trying to compare _that_? They were a natural! Both him and Rose. There was no need to..._try. _So how could Captain Flash Jackness.._ oh, he caught Mickey's disease. _How could he... Why was he even thinking about Jack regarding that? He was out of question.

_And there was always her partner to consider. _

Partner. The name rolling on his tongue like poison. He was a great big mystery still. The Time Lord wanted to know more, _needed_ to know more, but he could never push her to that.

He sighed inwardly.

A great big mystery, which settled deep into her heart. He shook his head mentally. NO point in thinking about that!

_Moving on!_

"So, I was thinking..." she began teasingly, looking at him with that illegal smile. "Would you like to..." Hug her? Yep, hugs were nice. He liked feeling her near. Safe and sound in his embrace. He could stay like that forever sometimes. Or not. Not sometimes. He could stay like that and see no tomorrow.

_Since when had he became so dependant on her presence?_ Oh, it must have been a long long time.

The Wire really made his hearts stop for a moment there. For never being able to see, talk with her again. Her weird quirks, her smiles and compassion. Her herself. He was fairly sure he would not meet anyone like her ever again. Just one chance in life...and that, short too.

Funny thing, that of all the times he found himself brilliant, he desperately wanted to be a clueless fool, not knowing his future's griefs. His both hearts wanted the grief to be hope, happiness, warmth... but the universe never worked like that to him, did it? No, it did not. He wanted her to never leave him. _He wanted her mind._

_Wow, that was a bit of a powerful thought. _

Words hold power, so does thoughts, if it is a Time Lord's brain you are talking about. And anyway. Would she even want him, if he... no, how could she? Well, he could see in those moments that she cared for him, but her longing faraway looks told him that him was not whom she wanted.

_Oh._

Did he... he didn't, right? No, that couldn't be... of course not, he wouldn't have... _would he? _Time Lords don't do that and certainly not_ THAT._ And it was not like they were... so, um...no, that couldn't have happened anyway...It just couldn't! He was not, he was not, he was not! I'm telling you, he was...!

_ Oh, Rassillion._

If anybody from the Academy would hear him now! _Was he... suffering from the unrequited love?_

That was just ridiculous...Utterly, impossibly ridiculous! Sigh. _But was it really so strange?_ She was brilliant. More than that. Much much more than that. She was _everything._ And her having feelings for a broken man like himself, would have been more strange.

There, he had said it. And what sort of rubbish word was unrequited? Like, really? Unrequited? Un...re..qui...ted... Blah. Should be something liiiiike - inconvenient. Um...rubbish too. One-sided? Who has two sides? Him and Rose have.

No, wait.

He just admitted that he was on-sided. Um.. no that doesn't suit them, since they are really, very very two-sided people. What sort of people? Well, one slightly pinkish-yellow-y human another slightly Time Lord-y alien... Anyway, it's either the two of them or none. So moving on! Ridiculous love? Um, nah. Presumptions? Unfair? Oh oh!... Different?

_"Good different or bad different?"_

_"Just different."_

Yep, definitely different love. There we go! Way way better than unrequited love.

Yikes, his brain was certainly more running ahead of him this time round than ever. And his mouth! Oh, it could bring him trouble on so many occasions, despite saving him the other times. And those thoughts! Well, he could only be glad that he said it only in his mind. And then again, he had been daydreaming for the past few minutes... Wait, _daydreaming_? Since when Time Lords daydream? Huh. Anyway, he better check on his precious girl now. He surely had missed a sentence or two.

As always.

There she was! Staring at him. Waiting. Of course, waiting for him to comment on something he hadn't heard, _SINCE_ he was way too preoccupied in his ridiculous un-...no no no no no! He was certainly _not_ going down that road of thoughts again. And he said! Different it was. Different. Just different. So there... let's analyse. Her expression... hmm, did he have something on his face? Why such an odd expression. Was it... shocked? Um, hopeful?... gentle understanding? Wait, under-what? Why would she even-

_Oh._

Oh. Oh. Oh. Ooh. No, that wasn't it, right? No, 'course not! Out of everything! He didn't... as much as oblivious he was, he just wouldn't be that much to not...wait, did he just admit he was oblivious? Weeell, he may be...a bit. But only a bit. And anyway! It was not even humanly or Time Lord-y in this case, psychically or universally, however you prefer, possible that for some reason that could have happened! Right? It didn't, right?

_Oh, he did say that out loud._

* * *

She was losing hope of him listening. "Or I could always try jumping on my head in the river full of alligators."

_Still nothing._

Certainly not listening. "Well, it's nice of you to wander off. And guess what? Not me this time," she muttered.

Then his mouth slightly parted. What was he saying? She was sure he was not aware of it, but...

_"...unrequited love..."_

"What did you just say?" she whispered, but got no answer again. She just blinked. What was he thinking about? It couldn't be her, after all they were... Oh, this one still didn't know. It must be that. So, what, did he think he was alone in that? Seriously? Could he be more oblivious?

Mind you, was he _pondering_ over that fact?

Oh, silly Time Lord. When will he let himself let go of his worries? 'Guess, never... She really wanted to hug him now.

But then she saw his expression go confused, concentrated, until it went to complete shock and lost of what to do.

_It must have just clicked him what he said._

"Do-" she began, but was interrupted by an unasked for, loud shout.

"PERLEY GIMER!" he exclaimed, louder than was necessary for any occasion.

"W-hat?" She blinked, startled. _Who was that?_

"Perley Gimer "Unrequited Love". Rubbish movie, I must say. Don't watch it, you would regret it. As much as brilliant lot you are, this one really cut it over the edge."

"Huh." Rose looked at him sceptically.

"If you want to watch something, I have a whole collection out there. Weell, strictly speaking the TARDIS has it, but since we share everything, well, almost everything, so in a way it is mine too, more than mine, well the ship is mine, so it is mine as in _mine_ mine, but maybe not as mine as someone else could b-... TARDIS! aaand movies, are mine, others are not as much and-"

"Doctor!" Rose interrupted him, laughing.

"Hmm? What?" He blinked a few times.

She chuckled. "What are you on about?"

"Who, me? Oh, this and that. I was just..." He considered, rubbing on the back of his neck. "Just telling you..." He nodded. "Letting you know about my relationships with y-the TARDIS! Yeh. That's right. That's what it was." He grinned nervously, his hand down.

Her lips quivered, but she stifled the snort. "Oh?" She bit her lip, looking at him teasingly. "You sure?"

"Yep. I'm sure. More than sure. Brilliantly sure, in fact!" He laughed nervously, when Rose was edging towards him.

"Hmm..." she hummed, her fingers were nearly inches from his tie. Her body too. Let's not forget her body. After all, her fingers were part of her hand, lovely hand, soft hand, which was part of her body.

The Doctor's eyes widened, when he had a flashback of Cassandra going that way at him. Well, Rose was going a bit differently, more Rose-y, but that didn't make matters better. In fact, it made matters worse. _Because_ it made him expectant.

And oh oh, his eyes widened even more, if that was possible, as her hands grazed the fabric of his tie. She was so close to him.

"I think you want..." she said in a husky voice. "_Need._.." She locked her eyes with him and he gulped, not daring to move. His eyes travelled to her lips, as he felt her close proximity. Her lips were slightly parted, on the verge of forming a word, a small amount of warm air emitting from her mouth. _He was mesmerised by the sight._ His breathing picking up the speed of hers, his both hearts skipping just a bit or maybe a lot more faster than he held normal for his Time Lord self. But he did not care about that now. It was unusual for him to not think straight, but at this moment, he could find nothing in his mind besides Rose's closeness. _Her warmth._

He loved the feeling of her against his chest, her scent of so Rose, and the current situation was provoking thoughts of having her even closer to him.

He involuntary leaned his head down just an inch, waiting impatiently. _If she would just move a bit more forwa-_

"To take some chips with you," she said, poking him in his chest and backing away.

"_Huh?_" The Doctor let out a breathless sound. He was a bit dazed - mouth half-parted, eyes unfocused.

"We can't just watch without chips!" She laughed, that melodious sound.

"Wh...what?" He blinked. _Where did the reality fly off to?_

"The movie," she said like it was obvious. "Your big great great collection. Better choose something," she said casually. "If not the "Unrequited Love", she said in a low voice.

"What?" He shook his head, narrowing his eyes. _Was he losing it?_ _What was happening?_ He really found a hard time grasping the meaning of all of this.

"Doctor, are you gonna continue what'ing me or are you going to pick those chips?" She laughed. The Doctor mechanically jerked his head towards the named object - chips. They were called. _What were they again?_

"Meet me in the media room. Mind you," she said in a more serious tone now. "Good thing we don't have to worry about such things as unrequited love," she said and went off, out of the kitchen.

"Yeh," the Doctor agreed faintly, before he sprung his head towards the doors. Wait. What?

_"What?"_

One more _what_ was heard that day.

Or a lot more...

* * *

_**to be continued...**_

**I just had an urge to play with them a bit ;D Tell me what you thought of it. Was it any good? Or should I refrain myself from creating more of those? Well, I would put something like that in the episode-chapters itself, I guess. Just wanted this to be a chapter on its own. This time.**


End file.
